Monochrome Kiss
by Shadowclanwarrior
Summary: Five years after the destruction of the Chaos Heart, Mimi, Nastasia, and O'Chunks go back to Castle Bleck to spend the night in the place that had a big impact on their lives. But once there, Mimi begins to notice that not all is right, for soon she comes in contact with a spirit who has yet to pass on. One that does not intend to let go of his past life, or Mimi herself.
1. Prologue

_The cries of pure agony filled the entire halls of a dark castle as a monster's whole body went up in flames. The monster felt the flames burn away his flesh, his nervous system numbing him with pain. Losing all his power, the monster fell from a great height and hit the ground. He felt his lungs cringing as he tried to breathe and he could feel himself losing focus. _

_He was dying, the monster knew. _

_There was nothing he could do, even with his powerful magic. His wounds were too great, his mental and physical strength slowly falling apart. The monster weakly glanced up to see the people who had defeated him looking down at him, while helping their fallen comrade in the process. The monster met each of their gazes, and he could see the pity in their eyes. _

_...Pity, how _dare_ they pity him while he died! _

_"...You think this is the end? This isn't finished..." _

_A large twisted smile appeared on the monster's face. _

_"Just because my physical body is burning away, does not mean that I will accept defeat! I will have my revenge on all of you, on every single person that did me wrong!_ I will have justice_!" _

_The monster felt his strength quickly leaving him, laying on the ground as he closed his eyes. He let out tiny, pathetic laughs of madness as his breathing, slowly and painfully, ceased all together._


	2. Chapter 1

"Mimi! Mimi! Mimi, I need to see you right now!"

I slowly opened my eyes to the sound of my employer's voice. I let out a loud yawn as I sat up in my bed, trying to get myself to wake up.

"Mimi! Mimi! Mimi!"

"I'm coming, Merlee!" I finally shouted. "Just give me a second!"

So early in the morning, and I already knew that it was going to be a long day! But then again, working at Madame Merlee's mansion, which was well known for its production of electricity for the entire area of Gloam Valley, you would have to expect some hard work. Though I'm not really one of the workers, but the head maid to help keep the place in order. And normally, I love my job with all the benefits and interesting people I've met. But when it came to working _so_ early in the morning, and when Merlee became so impatient...

Yeah, it was a pain.

Quickly putting on my uniform and putting up my long green hair into two neat pigtails, I quickly ran out of my room and went down to the second floor, since I had a feeling Merlee would be in her office. And I was right, for she was sitting at her desk, examining her crystal ball. I slowly walked in.

"Uh...you called, Merlee?" I asked with a weak smile.

Merlee moved her mystic gaze to me.

"Yes, for I wanted to ask you something."

I felt my face pale.

"Uh...I didn't do anything wrong, did I? Look, some of the workers are hard to motivate and I try my best!"

Merlee shook her head, giving an amused smile.

"I know, and you are doing fine. I can see the hard work you put in and I appreciate it greatly. Trust me when I say things were _more_ chaotic before you came in to help."

I blinked, surprised by Merlee's words.

"...Okay. So why did you call me like it was super important?"

Merlee's eyes darkened. She let out a heavy sigh.

"Mimi, do you know what today is?"

I gave a puzzled look. What did that have to do with anything?

"Um...I think it is the first Thursday of the month," I finally said, though I wasn't a hundred percent sure. "And I don't think today is a holiday or anything, at least in this dimension..."

My eyes suddenly widened, for it finally clicked in my head.

How...how could I forget?

Merlee gave me a sympathetic look.

"Tomorrow will be the fifth anniversary of the final battle between the Light and Dark Prognosticuses. The day where the Chaos Heart was destroyed and all dimensions were saved from that dark prophecy."

She paused.

"Since you were greatly involved in it, I was curious if you had any plans to meet up with your old coworkers or the heroes to remember it."

I stayed silent for a moment, the memories of that fateful day playing back in my mind.

"Well, Nastasia, O'Chunks, and I try to avoid that topic," I finally said. "And I haven't spoken to Luigi, Mario, or the others since that day. So...I don't know."

I met Merlee's gaze.

"Why do you ask?"

Merlee let out a heavy sigh, sitting back in her chair as her long blonde hair fell over her shoulders.

"I've noticed that you have been talking to O'Chunks and Nastasia a lot recently. So I didn't know...if you all wanted to get together to remember your beloved count."

That was true. Not only did the three of us try not to talk about our time at Castle Bleck, but Count Blumiere, Count Bleck at the time, as well. And Dimentio, the one who betrayed us all by trying to use the Chaos Heart's power for himself. It was really painful remembering all of it, what we had done, but it was sometimes even more painful to forget for a little while and then having it come back to haunt you.

"...Do you think we should do something to remember what happened?" I suddenly asked Merlee. "Do you think it would make it less painful if we acknowledge it, even if it is only for a day?"

It took awhile for Merlee to reply.

"...I would think it would help, as remembering tragedies isn't necessarily a bad thing. Time heals, but also does remembering and paying respect for our lost love ones."

She paused for a moment.

"Listen, why don't you see if you and the others want to get together and do something for the anniversary. And if you all do decide to do something, I will give you the day off. Does that sound fair?"

My eyes widened.

"Oh wow! I...don't know what to say..."

Merlee smiled.

"If it helps you, then I am willing to allow you some time off. Besides, I need to check up on my workers every so often."

She shifted up her glasses.

"Now, go call O'Chunks and Nastasia and make some plans. Let me know what you all decide."

I nodded.

"Okay. Thank you again, Merlee."

And with that, I left her office.

I admit, it was really shocking to hear Merlee bring up the subject of what happened. She rarely got into other people's business, unless they wanted her to look into their futures or something like that, being a fortune teller and all. But something told me that Merlee had other reasons for encouraging me to reunite with my old coworkers. But why was a complete mystery to me. I mean, what could she gain from the three of us coming together?

Arriving in the living room, I sat down on the couch and got out my cell phone to send a group text to O'Chunks and Nastasia. Though normal cell phones couldn't contact others from different dimensions, Nastasia used a spell to where the three of us could. It was a way for us to always keep in contact, and if we ever needed each other, we were there. I never said it to her in person, but I was very thankful that Nastasia decided to do it. When Merlee was away and I had no one to talk to, just simply getting into a group chat with them always cheered me up.

Suddenly, after I sent the text, I felt a pair of hands covered up my eyes.

"Guess who?" a voice asked playfully.

I smiled a tiny bit.

"Doopliss! What are you doing here? You know I work today!"

My boyfriend, Doopliss, removed his hands away from my face. He gave a large smile, chuckling to himself. I rolled my eyes.

"You do realize I can always tell it is you, right? Your transforming abilities are almost exactly the same as mine, so it isn't hard to figure out!"

Doopliss continued to smile, his bright red eyes glowing with mischief.

"What can I say, it is fun! Besides, you seemed a bit depressed, so I thought I would try to cheer you up."

I smiled slightly.

"Thanks, Doopliss. I appreciate it."

I turned back in my chair.

"Go ahead, take a seat."

Doopliss nodded and took the seat right next to me.

"So, _why_ are you here," I said once I saw that he was comfortable. "Did you need something from me or Merlee or what?"

"Yeah, kind of," Doopliss said. "Vivian isn't feeling so great today, so I was hoping to get her something nice. You, being her best friend, I was hoping I could get your opinion on what I should get her."

I paused for a moment.

Though we only met two years ago, Vivian and I had become really close friends. I had made a trip to Twilight Town, supposedly to get Merlee something, and I accidently ran into Vivian. We talked a bit, and then we found out that we both knew Mario, which I thought was really cool. Soon after becoming friends, Vivian introduced me to Doopliss, who turned out to have a similar past like I had. Realizing we had so much in common, Doopliss and I started dating a few months back. And though I had no doubt he had feelings for me, I couldn't help but feel like he had something for Vivian too.

But if Vivian was down, I had to do something.

"Well...is she like physically sick or just depressed?" I finally asked.

Doopliss shrugged.

"I'm not sure, Beldam wouldn't tell me what was wrong."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Stupid slick. Always thinking that she is better than anyone else! She had the nerve to tell me I couldn't see Vivian, even though I'm her friend!"

He sighed.

"So, anyways, I don't know. But if I can't see her, I want to at least get her something to cheer her up, you know?"

I nodded.

"I completely understand. For I want to do something for her too."

My eyes suddenly lit up.

"I have an idea. Why don't you go get her a card and write on there that when she is feeling better, the three of us will get together and do something. Like go shopping."

Doopliss rolled his eyes.

"Sounds good, though I _really_ hope we don't go shopping. Last time we went to a mall together, I ended up carrying _everything_ while you and Vivian went nuts. Slick, it was awful!"

I giggled.

"Hey, we like to shop, it's not our fault!"

"Did I mention that I bought most of the stuff you wanted too? Even though you have _more_ money than I do?"

I gave an innocent look.

"But that's what boyfriends do! They treat their girlfriends with gifts!"

Doopliss narrowed his eyes.

"You just don't want to spend your rubees, since you have that weird obsession with them."

He sighed.

"But whatever, I can deal with it. At least you, along with Vivian, don't call me a freak like most people do. Seriously, half of Twilight Town _still_ think of me as a demon!"

I gave him a sympathetic look.

"I'm sorry, Doopliss. I wish I could do something to make them see you are not that bad."

Doopliss shrugged.

"Again, whatever. If they want to be stupid, fine. Be that way! It doesn't matter, since I'm an actor and all..."

His voice cracked a bit.

I sighed, knowing exactly how he felt. Even now, people who had an idea of what happened or knew I used to work for the man who almost destroyed all worlds, I got dark looks. It was hard to not have them affect you, so I understood what Doopliss was going through.

Suddenly, my phone rang saying I got a text. Reading it, a bittersweet smile appeared on my face. Doopliss raised an eyebrow.

"Who sent you a text?" he asked.

"It was my friend, Nastasia," I answered.

"That secretary you used to work with at Castle Bleck?"

I nodded.

"Yes. Since the anniversary of our count's death is tomorrow, I thought that she, O'Chunks, and I should get together and do something in his memory."

"Oh...I guess that is nice," Doopliss replied, sounding a bit uncertain whether to sound happy or sad. "What are you guys going to do?"

"Well, according to the text she sent me," I said, reading the text as I talked. "She and O'Chunks were thinking of spending the night at Castle Bleck, as a way to spend time at the place that brought us all together."

Doopliss's eyes widened.

"Spending the night in a creepy castle where someone died in? Holy crap, that is messed up!"

I raised an eyebrow.

"How is it messed up? I used to live and work there."

I moved my gaze to the floor.

"It may be a little depressing to go there now, yes, but it still doesn't change the fact it was once my home. Besides...I've been wanting to see how that place has held up for five years."

Doopliss still looked unconvinced.

"...Well, whatever. I still think it is a bad idea."

I looked up at him.

"Doopliss, seriously listen to yourself. It is just an old building with a bit of history. It isn't like a monster or a ghost is lurking there or something."

"It is possible!" Doopliss exclaimed. "If someone died tragically, there is a strong chance that their ghost will still be there! I'm a duplighost, I would know!"

I sighed heavily.

"Okay, I get your point. But I'm still going because Nastasia and O'Chunks are going. And that is final."

Doopliss looked like he wanted to argue some more, but by the look in my eyes, he stopped himself. He pouted a bit.

"Whatever! Just...stop by Twilight Town on the way home, all right?"

I nodded.

"I will. Though I still don't get why you are getting worked up. I mean, you live in that creepy steeple with all those boos, don't you?"

"Yeah, but that is different," Doopliss replied, sounding a bit defensive. "Boos and duplighosts are not the same compared to actual ghosts. With us, we are almost like living beings, the species between the dead and the living. But with real ghosts of people who have died... They cannot be seen, only heard by normal people. You never know what they will do, and if you are not careful, they can lead you to your death."

He looked deeply into my eyes.

"And even though we duplighosts and boos can see them, there are still as threatening as they can take over our bodies with ease. Mimi, they're something to _not_ take lightly!"

He stood up.

"Well, I'm off. See you later, Mimi. I hope everything goes okay."

He then walked away and left the mansion. I watched him go as I tried to get Doopliss's words out of my head.

Ghosts... Like I would ever come in contact with an actual ghost!


	3. Chapter 2

Around late afternoon, I left Gloam Valley and teleported to Flopside, where I was supposed to meet up with Nastasia and O'Chunks. The sun was already beginning to dim, making the darker side of the dimension seem even darker. But in a way, I liked it. Between the two towns of Flipside and Flopside, I always preferred the darker half. Maybe it was because the people here, and others who were used to the dark and its consequences, were more forgiving. Because people who were used to the light...found it harder to forgive the unthinkable.

Trying to clear my thoughts, I made my way to the top of Flopside Tower, where the door to Castle Bleck's dimension would be. As I went up the elevator, I felt myself become a little nervous. Though I believed Doopliss was overreacting, I couldn't quite get his words out of my head. What _would_ we find there, would there be anything? I cursed a bit under my breath. No, I couldn't afford to get myself worked up now. O'Chunks and Nastasia were just as anxious as I was, and we were going to see this through. It would haunt me forever if I never saw what had happened to that place.

Finally, the elevator reached the top of the tower. I got out, and to my relief, saw Nastasia and O'Chunks were already there, standing before that giant black door. I smiled.

"Hey, guys!"

Both of them looked up to see me approaching them. O'Chunks smiled.

"Hi, lassie!" he exclaimed in that always thick Scottish accent of his. "You arrived just in time!"

"Sorry if I kept you guys waiting long," I said. "But, you know, traveling through dimensions isn't the easiest of things."

"We understand," Nastasia replied. "We've only been waiting for, like, a few minutes."

I smiled. "That's good to hear."

There was a small, uncomfortable silence.

"...So, are we going to have dinner at the castle or what?" I finally asked.

"I had planned to fix us something there," Nastasia answered, showing me a sack of groceries she had. "I picked up some ingredients before we came here to make some lasagna. And of course, I got drinks, plus a few extra snacks if we needed some."

I nodded.

"So...is that all we need? Are we ready to go?"

"...I think we are," O'Chunks said. "No point in waiting any longer..."

Nastasia shook a little.

"Yes... Um, open the door, would you O'Chunks?"

O'Chunks nodded in reply.

He slowly walked up to the door, grabbing a hold of the handle. He hesitated, and I could see the fear in his eyes. Eventually, he opened the door, revealing the black abyss that awaited us.

Immediately, I had flashbacks to when I first came to Castle Bleck. The only difference from what I felt then was the excitement I had, the adventure I would find serving this mysterious count. Now...all I could feel was the urge to turn around and go home. But I said nothing to my friends, for the three of us all went through the door together.

Upon entering, all sunlight vanished and was replaced with darkness. The tower's stone was replaced with pure black grass and trees, placing us on a black dirt road. The scenery was outlined in white as dark clouds covered the never ending night sky. In the distance, I could see the outline of Castle Bleck, looking just as cold and isolated like it always did.

Nastasia, O'Chunks, and I stared at it for a long moment, memories of our pasts coming back to us. Silently, we headed down the black path, our eyes never leaving the castle. Not a single thought went through my mind the closer I came to the castle, not one emotion. It was like the world had drained all of it away, sucking me towards the castle where I would be forced to face something I never wanted to face.

After what seemed forever, we finally reached the castle's front door. Taking a set of keys from her pocket, Nastasia unlocked it and we all went inside.

But once there, the air in the castle felt unnaturally cold. I put my arms around myself, shivering as I felt the icy air go through my body. The further I walked in, I realized that the place remained untouched. Everything, aside from the dust and cobwebs, looked just like it did when we all left five years ago. No one had been here to disturb anything, making it look like the set of a horror movie.

It was defiantly creepy, but it was what I was expecting.

The only part that was disturbing me was the fact it was dreadfully cold. Like all the warmth and life from the world was gone, and all that remained was the dead.

Shivering uncontrollably, I followed closely behind O'Chunks and Nastasia, who seemed less affected by the cold. We walked to the dining room, where Nastasia started to light a few candles with her magic.

"I'll go ahead and start cooking dinner while you guys prepare the table," she ordered. "It won't take me too long, so make sure it is ready."

"We will, Nastasia," O'Chunks replied.

Nastasia nodded as she took her bag and disappeared to the kitchen.

"I'll go grab the plates and stuff from the kitchen," O'Chunks said to me. "While I do that, see if you can find something to get rid of this dust from the table."

And with that, he left.

I stood where I was, trying to remember where Count Bleck would have kept a duster. If I remembered correctly, there was a closet on the second floor, on the far left from the stairs.

Though the last thing I wanted to do was wander the castle by myself, I slowly left the dining room and went up the stairs. But as I went up, I noticed that the air became colder and colder the higher I went. That was unusual, no, even _more_ then unusual! Something..._something_ was making the air colder in the castle.

But what could it be?

I quickened my pace. Eventually, I found the closet and looked inside. Sure enough, a duster was there. I reached out to grab it.

_"...Ah ha ha ha..."_

I froze.

Did I...just hear a voice? It was so faint, I couldn't tell. I turned around to see if there was anything behind me, but nothing caught my eye.

I felt my face pale.

As quickly as I could, I grabbed the duster, slammed the door shut, and ran down the stairs. But as I went back, I had the eerie feeling that I was being watched, causing me to become even more fearful. When I finally came back to the dining room, O'Chunks was there, carrying the plates and silverware. He paused, staring at me.

"Are you alright, Mimi?" he asked concerned. "You look like you've been scared to death or something."

Oh crap.

I knew if I said something about the 'voice,' O'Chunks would get even more anxious than he already was, along with Nastasia. And if I caused some doubts, I knew that they would call this whole thing off. I couldn't let that happen, for if we couldn't face this place again, how could we ever face our pasts?

I forced myself to smile.

"Oh, it is nothing. I almost tripped down the stairs. Startled me a bit."

I quickly began to dust off the table, avoiding eye contact with him.

"...You didn't hurt yourself, did you?" I heard O'Chunks ask.

I shook my head.

"No. I just simply came down too fast. I'm anxious for dinner, since I haven't eaten anything all day."

And that wasn't too far from the truth, for I did had very little to eat today.

Even though I couldn't see his face, I had a feeling O'Chunks didn't buy it completely. We sat the table in silence, and not shortly after, Nastasia came out with the lasagna. I could sense the warmth coming from the dish, and it was very welcoming. The three of us sat down, and Nastasia gave a small prayer, in honor of Count Blumiere. It was very touching, even making my eyes water a bit.

But I still couldn't feel completely at ease, for I still felt like I was being watched. The coldness of the air still surrounded me, and not even the warmth of my dinner could keep it away.

"...Mimi, what is wrong?" O'Chunks suddenly said. "Ever since you've gotten here, you have been shivering like crazy!"

I met his gaze.

"It is very chilly in here, O'Chunks," Nastasia replied, her voice a bit shaky. "I'm sure she is just cold."

"So am I, but I'm not-"

"O'Chunks, I'm fine," I said, cutting him off. "It has...just been a long day."

I paused.

"...I think I just need some sleep."

I stood up, clutching the ends of the table tightly.

"Goodnight, guys. See you in the morning."

Before either of them could say anything else, I dashed out of the dining room. I didn't want to be in my old bedroom all by myself, having to go deeper into the castle, but I couldn't stand a moment longer just sitting there with that feeling of insecurity! I needed to keep myself together, I had to face this castle! We all did, and perhaps me falling asleep would help me do so.


	4. Chapter 3

A loud bang went through my ears as my eyes shot right open. I sat straight up in my bed, looking out my window to see rain pouring down from outside.

…Rain?

I couldn't remember the last it rained here at the castle. It was rare to even see clouds! But then again…the trees and grass had to get water somehow...

With another clash of thunder, I laid back down, staring at the pure black ceiling. And of course, with my luck, I couldn't go back to sleep. I glanced over at the clock. Eleven fifty-one.

Great.

The rain continued to pound on the roof, the wind blowing harder and harder. Thunder roared every few minutes, and it was _really_ starting to freak me out. This storm was strong, strong enough to cause serious damage on the castle. God, that's the last thing I needed, worrying about the roof falling right on top of me!

Suddenly, I heard a sound coming from the hallway, like footsteps. I felt my whole body stiffened up. Was that O'Chunks getting up in the middle of the night for something? I heard the footsteps again. ...Damn it!

Quickly getting out of my bed, I stormed towards my bedroom door and pulled it opened. The hallway was completely dark, light occasionally flashing in by lightning. I glanced down both hallways.

"Hello, O'Chunks?" I called out, my fear now being replaced with annoyance. "O'Chunks, if that is you, I swear..."

_"Ah ha ha ha..."_

My eyes widened.

That...that voice again!

In the corner of my eye, I saw a bright light forming from the staircase. My face paled dramatically.

_"...Come towards the light..."_

I felt the air around me turn cold. With little choice, I obeyed the voice and slowly walked towards the light. But it seemed like the closer I got to it, the further away it would appear. Soon, I found myself climbing up the stairs to reach it. Eventually, I reached the top floor of the castle, where the light disappeared completely. It only lead to one room, one room that made my heart cringe.

It was the meeting room, where Count Blumiere would have all us, minions gather around to discuss our plans. It was also the room...where the final battle took place, where Dimentio betrayed us all.

...Dimentio. It's been awhile since I thought about him.

Suddenly, the doors to the meeting room opened up. My heart pounded in my chest, but for some reason, I didn't feel fearful.

_"...Come in..." _

The voice...it sounded a lot stronger up here, a lot clearer to understand. In almost like a dream state, I went inside the room. The doors slowly closed behind me, and I was completely alone in the dark, cold room.

_"...I thank you for coming out here, my dear,"_ the voice said, to where I could hear it perfectly. _"But you will understand soon enough."_

I tried to get a good look around the room, but it was so dark I couldn't even see my own hands. I couldn't see who the owner of the voice, but by the sound of it, I guessed it was a man. And that it was..._so_ familiar.

"Um...your welcome," I finally said, trying to get a response from the voice. "But...why did you bring me here?"

I heard him give a small chuckle.

_"Because I wanted to speak to you."_

"...Okay...um..."

I paused, trying to come up with the right words.

"...How did you get in here? Were you here before me and my friends came?"

Again, the voice laughed.

_"Indeed, for this castle is my home. And my prison."_

I blinked.

"'Your prison?' How is it your prison?"

_"It is simple, I can never leave."_

"Why can't you..."

I cut myself off, Doopliss's words echoing in my ears. A chill went down my spine, but I was able to keep my voice steady.

"Do you happen...to be a ghost?"

Silence filled the air.

_"The Phantom of Castle Bleck, at your service."_

I felt the air in front of me become a lot colder.

_"Pleased to make your acquaintance." _

Oh God...

My throat became so dry I couldn't speak. But, apparently, my speechlessness was amusing to the ghost.

_"Ah ha ha... Relax, I'm not going to harm you. I just want to talk to you. For you see...I haven't been in contact with any living being in so long. It would be nice to know what's been going on outside this castle."_

"I-I..."

I stuttered a bit, my mind racing.

I couldn't believe it! I...was talking to a _real_ ghost, a ghost that haunted the place I used to call home! But who was the ghost of?

"...H-how long have you been here?" I finally asked, regaining control over my shock.

It took a long while for the ghost to reply.

_"...A long time,"_ he reluctantly answered. _"Far too long, in fact..."_

There was intense emotion in his voice. But, regardless, I kept pressing on with questions.

"If you have been here a long time, then do you know who I am? Who my friends are?"

_"...I do."_

"Do I know who you are?"

There was a long silence.

_"...I've been with you for a long time, Mimi. Though you..."_

He paused for a moment.

_"Tell me...do you recognize my voice?"_

I blinked.

"I...kind of do," I answered truthfully after giving it some thought. "But...I can't quite tell who-"

_"That's good,"_ the ghost said, cutting me off. _"And let us keep it that way." _

The cold air moved away from me.

_"I know I've been keeping you late, but I do wish to learn more about the outside world. If you don't mind."_

I did not respond right away, for somehow, I could sense the tension rising within the ghost.

A part of me wanted to get out of here as fast as possible, since I couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right with him. But if I did leave...what would I do? There was no way I could sleep now, knowing that there was a ghost who was in the same building as me. And...though I heard a lot of cold anger in his voice, the ghost also sounded a bit lonely. It was barely noticeable, but it was enough for me to not hate him.

I let out a heavy sigh.

"Fine. However, I would like know one thing first."

_"And what is that, my dear?"_ the ghost asked.

I narrowed my eyes.

"What am I suppose to call you, since you don't want me to know your real name? I need to refer to you as something."

There was a short silence, the ghost obviously taking time to think. In my mind, I could imagine a smile appearing across his face.

_"...You may call me Giullare. For, in my native language, it means what I once was when I was alive."_

I nodded.

"Alright, Giul...Giular..."

It was hard to get the word off my tongue.

Giullare laughed. _"Cute. I'm might have to teach you a little Italian some other night. It will help you pronounce my name."_

"Um..."

I stopped myself before I could say anything. I didn't think it was a good idea to tell him I was leaving in the morning. It seemed like a harsh thing to do.

I gave a small smile.

"Sounds like fun. Maybe you are not as bad as I thought you were."

I sat down on the floor, trying to get myself comfortable.

"So, what would you like to know first?"


	5. Chapter 4

"This isn't good," Nastasia mumbled as she and O'Chunks looked out the window. "Not good at all..."

I slowly walked up to them, letting out a large yawn as I moved down the stairs.

"Wha...what's going on?" I asked sleepily.

O'Chunks and Nastasia turned to me.

"Mimi, that thunderstorm has flooded the entire grounds of the castle," Nastasia explained. "The water is so high that there is _no_ way to get out."

My eyes widened.

I moved towards the window to get a better look. Sure enough, black water covered the entire front yard, making it look like a lake. It didn't reach far enough to start flooding inside the castle, but it could get very close. But one thing was for sure, we couldn't just walk out of Castle Bleck. I turned to face my friends.

"I know the flood is bad, but couldn't we just teleport out of here?" I asked.

"Err...Nastasia has already tried that," O'Chunks said sadly. "But it didn't work."

I raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean 'It didn't work?' Teleporting always worked, no matter what the situation was."

"Yes, but something is preventing me from doing so," Nastasia said. "Go ahead and see for yourself."

Still unconvinced, I closed my eyes and tried to use my powers to teleport to the other side of the room. But I felt a strong force preventing me from moving, holding me down to the exact spot I was in. I used all my willpower to try to break through the force, but nothing worked. Eventually, I tired myself out and I fell to my knees, panting heavily.

"You okay, lassie?" O'Chunks asked concerned.

I nodded. "Y-yes..."

"Same thing happened to me when I tried," Nastasia replied, helping me stand back up. "With the flood and no way to teleport out of here, we are trapped here until something changes."

There was a long silence.

Trapped.

We were trapped in our old home.

A part of me was very scared, for that meant I would have to spend more time in this awful place! And the fact I wouldn't be going home right away would mean Doopliss would freak out, and he would have no way to reach me. Merlee would be concerned as well, and I didn't want her to worry, plus with my job on the line...

But on the other hand, I wouldn't have to leave Giullare. From our conversation last night, he seemed to be looking forward to spend more time with me. And I would feel a bit guilty if I had left him all alone again...

"Mimi, are you alright?"

I blinked as Nastasia and O'Chunks gave me worried looks.

Oops...I guess I had dozed off.

I smiled, laughing uneasily.

"Sorry. I got lost in thought..."

Nastasia raised an eyebrow, an unconvinced look in her eyes.

"...Well, whatever. Though if something is bothering you, go ahead and speak up. I know this place brings back unsettling memories..."

A sad look appeared in her eyes.

"...Well, standing around and talking about being stuck here isn't going to change anything," O'Chunks quickly said, desperate to change the subject. "So, why don't we play a game of cards or something to pass the time?"

Both Nastasia and I looked up at him. Nastasia smiled slightly.

"Yeah...I guess we should. Though I doubt we could play cards for an entire day..."

"Then let's see how long we can!"

O'Chunks started to make his way to the stairs. But before he could move another step, he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Though...where did the count put the cards again?" O'Chunks asked, mostly to himself. "I kind of forgot..."

I laughed and Nastasia rolled her eyes. Already, I could feel the time beginning to past.

* * *

Later that night, when I knew that both O'Chunks and Nastasia were sound asleep, I slowly made my way to the meeting room to see Giullare. Though he never told me, I assumed that he would want me to come up there again to meet him. He was _so_ into our conversation last night, I had no doubt he would want to continue it tonight. Though this time, I hoped, I would get to learn more about him. His secretive nature entranced me, made me very curious.

When I finally arrived at the top floor, I approached the door to the meeting room and tried to open it. But, to my surprise, it was locked, not even moving an inch. I blinked, feeling slightly puzzled.

"...Uh, are you here?" I called out, not knowing what else to do. "Giullare?"

There was a short silence. Suddenly, I felt cold air move towards me.

_"I didn't expect you to come by yourself," _Giullare's smooth voice said. _"I was just about to get you."_

There was a snapping sound and the meeting room's doors opened up. I gasped, feeling startled as I took a few steps back. Giullare chuckled.

_"Jumpy are we, my dear?"_

He continued to laugh. I growled, heating rising to my face.

"H-hey, stop making fun of me! It's not everyday I see doors getting opened by ghosts!"

_"And yet it does not change the facts. What's amusing is amusing."_

I felt the cold air leave my side, guessing that it was Giullare entering the room. Crossing my arms with a slight annoyed look on my face, I walked in myself.

Like last night, as soon as I entered the room, the doors closed, leaving me in total darkness. I calmly sat against the wall, feeling Giullare's cold presences.

_"It seems like you and your friends had an interesting day,"_ Giullare said, causally staring a conversation. _"The after flood from last night's thunderstorm seemed to delay your plans on leaving this dimension."_

My eyes widened.

"I...yeah, it kind of did. You see-"

_"No need to explain yourself,"_ Giullare said cutting me off_. "I assumed that you didn't plan on staying long from the moment you walked in. However, from the weather, I knew you wouldn't be able to leave very soon. You are going to be here for a few days until the flood clears up, you know that, correct?"_

It took awhile for me to reply.

"...Yes, but we can't afford to stay here. I have a job I need to get back to!"

_"I'm afraid that job will have to wait, my dear. You can't leave this castle."_

"But it wouldn't be a problem if I could teleport!"

I paused. Wait, now that I thought more about it...

"...Giullare, do you know why Nastasia and I can't use teleportation?" I asked. "I never had this problem happen before when I worked here, and it feels like some force is keeping us in here. Do you have any idea what it is?"

There was a long silence, the question hanging in the air. I waited, a little impatient, for Giullare to answer. But for some reason, I had the feeling he was reluctant to do so.

Eventually, Giullare let out a heavy sigh.

_"Mimi, many things have happened since you have left. This castle holds many dark secrets and memories, restless anger and longing for justice still in full strength, like a blazing fire. There are many things that you have yet to understand..."_

My gaze softened. I could imagine a sad look appearing in Giullare's eyes, him feeling a pain that I could never comprehend.

"I..." I tried to come up with the right words to say. "I...guess you had a hard life, by the sounds of it. Before Count Bleck came here."

Giullare said nothing in reply.

"I hope you don't mind me asking," I said, my voice growing softer, "but what happened to you to make you stay here even after death?"

There was a small silence. I could feel Giullare's eyes stare into me, and desperately, I wanted to see his gaze.

Giullare laughed softly.

_"...I haunt this place for many complicated reasons, ones that I would never expect you to understand."_

"Then make me understand," I replied. "You said you have been trapped here for a long time, so maybe you talking about your past will help you move on."

_"...Move on?"_

Giullare sounded puzzled.

I nodded.

"Yeah. I mean, the whole reason Nastasia, O'Chunks, and I came here was to face our pasts and get on with our lives. And since we are going to be here for awhile, we could help you move on too."

There was another really long pause.

Then, unexpectedly, Giullare started to laugh hysterically. I gave a disturbed look.

"Uh...Giullare?"

Giullare continued to laugh.

_"...I'm sorry, my dear. That was just...something I _never_ expected to hear..."_

He laughed in between sentences. I moved closer to the wall, not sure what to do. Eventually, he was able to get in control over his laughing fit.

_"...You are...a very fascinating person, Mimi. First you come here on your own free will, and then you offer to help me 'move on...' If it had been anyone else, they would have tried to get as far away from me as possible."_

He paused for a moment.

_"I...am very touched by your act of kindness, despite my laughter that has no doubt frightened you. This...does not change your mind about trying to understand me, does it?"_

I stayed where I was, completely stiff and still.

What Giullare was saying didn't really make any sense to me. Whatever I had said, it _really_ made an impact on him. Though I was freaked out, I was a bit happy that I had the chance to help him. For in a way, he kind of reminded me of someone I knew, someone who I believed needed a friend more than anything.

But unlike him, who I was too late to help, I would not let that happen to Giullare.

"...The four of us are in this together, aren't we?" I finally said. "We need to help each other out, don't you think?"

_"...Yes,"_ Giullare replied, _"though I would prefer if it was just between us. I do not want your friends to know about me."_

I raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?"

_"Because they are unwilling to listen, unlike you."_

"...What do you mean? Nastasia and O'Chunks are not like that. If you would contact them or let me tell-"

I was cut off as I felt extremely cold air touch my lips.

_"...Mimi, trust me when I say that letting them know is a bad idea," _Giullare said softly. _"If I thought they would be willing to listen to the truth, I would have contacted them last night. But I didn't, I only contacted you. And you alone...do I feel can start seeing the truth. Do you understand?"_

I felt my heart pound loudly in my chest.

When I didn't answer right away, I heard a snapping sound and the doors to the room came open.

_"It is late. You need to get some sleep,"_ Giullare said. _"We will talk more tomorrow night."_

He paused.

_"_Buonanotte, amica mia. Per spero di poter avere fiducia in voi_."_

With that said, the cold air vanished as Giullare left the room.

I sat where I was for a long moment, my mind and heart racing as I knew that I was going to learn more than what I bargained for.


	6. Chapter 5

The next night, I went up to the meeting room to see Giullare. Though this time, the doors were already open, as if waiting for me.

"Giullare, I'm here," I called out as I stepped inside the cold room.

The doors closed behind me.

_"I know,"_ Giullare said. _"I saw you come in."_

I frowned by the tone of his voice.

"Are you okay? You sound like something is bothering you…"

There was a small silence.

_"…I can assure you, my dear, that nothing is wrong,"_ he finally replied, obviously lying.

I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever, though if I'm going to help you move on, you're going to have to be more open with me."

I sat down against the wall, making myself comfortable.

"So, are you ready to tell me about your life? Why you are here and everything?"

Giullare gave a small chuckle.

_"You sound impatient, like a child anxiously waiting to hear a story."_

I blushed a bit.

"…H-hey, don't judge me if I'm a tiny bit curious!"

There was another soft laugh, which made my blush grow.

_"It is so adorable the way you get flustered like that,"_ Giullare commented, sounding amused. _"I doubt not even the coldest of people can ignore your charm."_

I blinked, not getting what he meant by that. But before I could question it, Giullare started to tell his story.

_"From the very beginning, my life was a play of tragedy. My parents were forbidden lovers between two enemy tribes, enemies that would punish them severely if they were ever caught. But being star-crossed lovers, my parents thought they were invincible and could get away with it. Both of my parents came from rich families, and though my memories of them are so few, I can remember that they both were very arrogant."_

He paused, making me believe that he was smiling a bit.

_"But I can't say that I hate them for it. For when my mother became pregnant with me, the two of them ran away together. We lived outside a small village, far out in the countryside and a good distant from the two tribes. My parents, for the most part, were able to blend in. We were a happy family, as my parents loved me so and taught me much of what I was to become in life."_

"And what was that?" I asked.

There was a long silence.

_"...But nothing good can last forever, as I soon found out. For when I was at the tender age of twelve, my father became deathly ill. He was sick for weeks, slowly and painfully losing strength as he withered away from within. My mother, a healer, did all she could but nothing worked. She suffered to see him suffer, and I remembered that it always broke my heart to see her like that. But I didn't have time to grieve or feel pity for my parents, for I was the only one able to go out and find work. So I would leave all day, from morning til night, making as much money as I could to support the family until my father became strong again."_

Giullare's voice cracked, though it continued to remain emotionless.

_"I was on my way home one night after a long shift at one of my jobs. It was pitch black outside, I couldn't even see my own feet. I wandered the path to my home, a little anxious to see my mother and father. But then light penetrated the darkness. A bright red, flaming light. I quickly ran as fast as I could to the light. And there...I saw my home going up in flames."_

I gasped.

_"Inside, my mother and father burned away like wood in a fireplace,"_Giullare said, his voice becoming distant as the memory came back to him. _"And to add to the horror, a group of blue skinned men, skin just like my mother's, stood watch, using their dark magic to burn my home to the ground. I screamed at the sight, and the men quickly came after me to kill me. I ran back to the village, crying out for help. But no help came and it wasn't too long before the blue skinned men caught up to me. One of them pushed me to the ground and got on top of me, restraining me. While he held me down, the rest of his men burned down the village. I watched it all in pure horror, powerless to do a thing. I looked into the eyes of the blue skinned man who held me down, gazing into his evil, demon like yellow eyes. He smiled sadistically at me, leaning his face close to mine._

_"'Such a shame that I have to kill a boy as beautiful as you,' he whispered to me. 'But you are a half-blood, the son of a traitor and her filthy husband, and I have to punish you in some way. So, in the name of the noble Count Saturnus, I shall end thee!'_

_"He then took out a knife from his pocket and started to stab and cut my face."_

I put my hand over my mouth, preventing myself from crying out. I felt tears go down my cheeks, as I could picture the situation perfectly in my mind.

_"But then I snapped,"_ Giullare continued. _"With the powers I've learned from my parents and employers, I savagely killed the blue skinned man and his fellow men. I killed them all one by one, ripping every limb from their bodies and covering myself in their bright red blood. Their corpses were unrecognizable, so disfigured that no one would have guessed that a twelve-year-old child did all that. And speaking of disfiguring..."_

He paused for a moment.

_"...My own face was scarred from the knife, so badly that I no longer looked human. Or a half-blood, as that monster called me."_

He gave a small, mad chuckle.

_"But I wanted my scars to stay, for I wanted the people who did this to me see what they have done. Count Saturnus was the only name I had to go by, along with the knowledge of knowing that these people were blue skinned. So I searched high and low for him and his people, but I was never able to find a trace. In those years of searching, I slowly lost any hope of finding good people, for everywhere I went was dark and cruel. I saw other people suffer in my travels, people abusing other people for the littlest of things and desires, with murder after murder... It was like watching a bunch of animals, a bunch of mindless, self-absorbed creatures. No compassion anywhere, only hatred and greed. So either out of pity or pure disgust, I killed these people I would see without a second thought."_

My eyes widened, many emotions flowing through me.

_"Eventually, I was able to find some information about Count Saturnus and who his people were. I also learned that he and his whole tribe were killed off, only to have his son being the last rumored survival. Though any normal person would have been happy to hear that the people who ruined his life were dead, I was not satisfied. For_I_didn't kill them,_I_didn't get to see them suffer like I had suffered! This rumored survivor ruined everything, and since he had the same blood as the bastard who ordered the murders of my family, I decided to go after him. Which eventually lead me here, where I died in failure."_

Giullare sighed heavily.

_"...Though many things happened in between from my arrival here to where I finally met my end. Things that would dramatically change the way I looked at these worlds..."_

His voice trailed off. I felt his eyes stare into me, as I stared into darkness.

_"...I've been called many things in life because of my longing for justice,"_ Giullare said softly. _"I've been called a monster, a madman, someone who's worse than the men who penetrated this onto me. But one must understand that it was all necessary to find peace, for if anyone had gone through the same ordeal, they would be doing the same things I've done, regardless of conscious._

_"So, let me ask you this, Mimi...do you think I'm any of those things? Do you think...I don't deserve justice or some kind of satisfaction for what has happened to me?"_

I was silent for a long moment, tears running down my cheeks.

What...what could I say to a story like that?

It was the most horrible thing I've ever heard, the words still echoing in my head as I pictured each description perfectly. My heart cringed inside of me.

"...I don't know what to say," I finally managed to say. "I do believe going so far out to get revenge wasn't right, but you didn't deserve that kind of treatment..."

I looked up in the darkness.

"You said that many things happened in between you coming to this castle and your death. What did you exactly mean by that?"

Giullare took awhile to reply.

_"...There is saying that says to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. To enter an enemy's mind is the best way to find how to break them, to make them suffer when you ultimately plan their death. And in my enemy's mind...I discovered something that ultimately lead to my downfall. Not only did I know how to get my revenge, but what also to do about these impure, unperfected worlds we live in!"_

My eyes widened.

Unperfected...worlds?

I felt my body started to shake.

_"...Are you alright, my dear?"_ Giullare suddenly asked, alarmed. _"Why are you shivering?"_

I put my arms around myself, trying to calm myself down.

"I-I'm just cold, that's all," I finally answered in a shaky voice. "It gets really cold in the castle..."

I stood up.

"I-I wish to go back to my room for the night, Giullare. I've had enough for today."

I started to make my way to the doors, waiting for Giullare to open them for me. But he never did, and I just stood in a dark abyss of silence.

"...Giullare?"

I felt the air around me become icy cold.

_"...You are going to leave me, aren't you?"_ Giullare asked in a faint whispered. _"You are too afraid to see the truth. You can't understand me like everyone else..."_

There was a long silence.

"...No, I am not," I said with completely sincerity. "I promised you I will help you move on, and I plan on doing it."

I clutched my fists.

"I promise that I will return to you tomorrow night. But please...I would like to go back to my room. I'm tired."

There was a long, eerie silence.

_"...You promise?"_Giullare asked, his cold presence coming closer to me.

My body stiffened.

"I promise."

A minute passed.

_"...Then I shall see you tomorrow night. Goodnight, my dear Mimi."_

He snapped his fingers and the doors spread opened. I calmly walked out of the room, forcing myself not to look back, with my heart pounding in my chest.


	7. Chapter 6

"Hi, Nassy," I said the next morning as I walked into the library. "Any news on the flood?"

Nastasia looked up at me, setting the book she was reading to the side. She sighed.

"Nothing really has changed. The water level is still very high and it doesn't seem like it will be changing any time sooner."

"…So are we going to have to stay here for a few more days?" I asked, my heart pounding in my chest.

Nastasia shrugged her shoulders.

"Don't know. O'Chunks said he was going to try to build a raft or something for us to cross the water. I don't know how much luck he will have in building it, or finding materials to build it with, but he seemed very determined about it."

She paused.

"…Though this sounds completely foolish, I kind of hope he succeeds. We are running out of food and with O'Chunks's big appetite…"

I gave a sad look.

"…I see. This looks really bad, doesn't it?"

I sat down in the chair across from her, trying to meet her gaze. I could tell that Nastasia was worried, and out of all three of us, this place must have affected her the most. Even though the castle brought back a lot of terrible memories for me, I couldn't imagine the extent of what she was feeling. If anything, we needed to get out just for her.

After a short silence, Nastasia made eye contact with me.

"I hope us being trapped here hasn't brought too much stress on you, Mimi. You were taking it rough when we first arrived."

I smiled slightly.

"I can't say I've been enjoying myself, but I can handle it just fine. I am more concern about you, though, since you were here for far longer than me or O'Chunks."

Nastasia took awhile to reply, leaning back in her chair.

"…This building has always had a weird effect on me, even when I first arrived here with Blumiere," she confessed. "Its gloomy, quiet atmosphere has always calmed me. And even now, with the death of my beloved count still haunting me, I can still say that I feel some peace of mind. I can't hate this place."

I blinked.

Wow, that was _not_ the answer I was expecting.

"…How long did you work at this castle, Nastasia?" I suddenly asked. "Do you know the history of this castle or did the count ever tell you anything that might have happened here?"

Nastasia raised an eyebrow.

"I did do a little research about the castle in my free time, and Blumiere did tell me it has been his family's home for generations. Why do you ask?"

I shrugged my shoulders, trying to seem as causal as possible, when in reality, I was getting really anxious.

"Just curious. I never thought about it until now, looking back. I was wondering if any other tragedies had taken place here. It defiantly has the age to have some old secrets."

Nastasia kept her eyes on me, as if trying to read my mind. I felt my body stiffen up a bit, for I kind of feared if she really could.

"…If you are talking about murder, then you are wrong on that account," Nastasia finally answered. "The most dramatic that has happened here, before the events of the Dark Prognosticus, was very intense political debates, but nothing too violent."

"…So you are saying that no one has ever died here?"

"By murder, no. Now if someone died here because of natural causes, I can't say. Just nothing dramatic like what you would see in a horror or murder mystery movie."

I stayed silent for a moment, putting all the information together in my head.

"…When you and the count were recruiting us, did you do background checks?" I asked.

Nastasia nodded.

"Of course. We were looking for specific kinds of people."

"Then…do you know about Dimentio's background?"

Nastasia's eyes widened.

"…Recruiting Dimentio was a lot different from with you and O'Chunks, Mimi," she said, her voice shaking with shock. "There was _very_ little information to get about him, and he refused to talk about his past no matter what the count did or say."

Her eyes darkened.

"But from what I could gather, he was a very dangerous, unstable person. I hated him and I didn't want him working for us for fear of our safety. Blumiere disliked him too, and the only reason he was even allowed to set foot inside the castle was because of him being mentioned in the Dark Prognosticus."

She looked straight into my eyes.

"What's making you ask these questions? This isn't like you, Mimi."

I avoided eye contact.

"…I have my reasons, but please do understand that I can't tell you, at least not now," I answered in a low voice. "For if we are not careful, something bad may happen…"

"Like what?" Nastasia questioned. "Mimi, if something serious is going on, I need to hear about it!"

"I know, but you've just got to trust me, Nassy!"

I stared deeply into Nastasia's eyes, desperate for her to understand. She _had_ to understand!

We glared at each for a long moment, both of our wills refusing to give up. Eventually, Nastasia let out a heavy sigh and picked up her book again.

"We will talk about this later," she said in a stone cold voice. "Being as we are, getting into fights and causing unnecessary conflict will only make things worse. But I do expect you to explain yourself soon, k?"

She then went back to her reading. I gave a small sigh, as if silently telling her I understood. I then got up and left the room, thinking hard about what I was going to say to Giullare tonight.

Because if I do or say the wrong thing, I knew that we would be dead before dawn.


	8. Chapter 7

Eleven fifty-seven.

That's what my clock said as I stared blankly at it.

Eleven fifty-seven, three minutes till it was time to see Giullare. Three minutes from now…where I would find out if getting out of this castle alive was an option.

All day, I was completely restless in my thoughts, scenario after scenario playing in mind, each having a different outcome, some bloodier than others.

I shivered a bit.

But if my theory was correct on whom Giullare truly was, why was he acting so kind to me? If he really was…why would he care if I came to see him or not? Nothing made sense about it, and I couldn't put my finger on what could make him change.

Eleven fifty-eight.

With the suspense killing me, I got out of my bed and left my room. I slowly walked down the dark hallway, glancing out the windows as faint moonlight cast upon me.

Eleven fifty-nine.

I made my way up the stairs, my heart beating slightly faster. I tried to empty my mind of all thought and be as calm and collective as I could.

Midnight.

I arrived at the doors to the meeting room. They were opened, just like last time, and I walked passed them.

"…Good evening, Giullare," I said in an uneasy voice, trying to start a conversation.

A few seconds passed in complete silence. Suddenly, a soft chuckle went through my ears, causing goose bumps to crawl up on my arms.

_"Such a formal greeting,"_ Giullare said amused. _"Is there a reason for it?"_

He closed the doors.

"…Do I have to have a reason to be a bit more formal?" I questioned. "Are you against me saying it or something?"

_"I never said I was, my dear," _Giullare replied calmly. _"I didn't mean to offend you."_

"I…"

There was an awkward pause. Sitting down at my usual place, I cleared my throat.

"So…now that you told me about your life, I guess we can now discuss on what could be keeping your spirit here. You said that-"

_"I appreciate that you are so willing to help me move on, Mimi,"_ Giullare suddenly said, cutting me off. _"But if you don't mind, I would not like to discuss about myself tonight."_

I blinked, a puzzled look on my face.

"What do you mean? I can only help you move on if you tell me about yourself."

_"I know…but there are so many other things we could talk about as well,"_ Giullare explained. _"Besides, I think it would only be fair if you told me more about yourself. Like what you've been doing since you left Castle Bleck."_

I could hear the persuasive tone in his smooth voice. My breathing started to quicken, as I could picture so many things going wrong if I wasn't careful. I took in a deep breath of air.

"Well...there isn't really too much to say," I began, my voice quivering. "I've been mostly trying to keep myself busy and active. For not too long after Count Bleck's death, I was offered a job at this mansion to be a maid."

_"Ah, I see. I can see you doing something like that." _The way Giullare spoke made it sound like his mind was somewhere else. _"Who is your employer?"_

"Her name is Madame Merlee," I answered. "She is a fortune teller and the lead producer of electricity for the Gloam Valley dimension."

_"And she treats you well?"_

I paused a moment before replying.

Where was he going with this?

"Of course," I replied firmly. "Merlee is very kind to me and pays me a good amount of rubees. I wouldn't want to work for anyone else."

_"Do you like her more than your old employer, Count Bleck?"_ Giullare questioned. _"You were so fond of him, I remember."_

"I..."

I could not find an answer. A few, long minutes passed.

_"...This seems to be a hard question for you to answer,"_ Giullare commented softly. _"That is most interesting..."_

'Interesting,' what was that suppose to mean? And was that irritation I heard in his voice? My heart pounded with fear. I had to change the subject and fast.

"...Though I am a maid, there is a lot more to my job than you might think. Not only do I have the duties as a maid, but also have the job of keeping the boys in line when they are producing the electricity. And let me tell you, that is one hell of a job! Do you know _how_ much it takes to get those guys motivated? Half the time it seems like I'm talking to a bunch of little kids!"

I heard Giullare laugh.

_"And I bet they would have to be a fool to cross your path. Like and elegant tigress in the exotic jungle, you will claw them down if they push you too far."_

I felt my face heat up a bit.

"Uh...yeah. I am known to having a large temper. My boyfriend knows that especially..."

_"Your _what_?"_

I felt my heart stop. Oh God...

"I, err, meant my close guy friend," I quickly explained, though I couldn't help the panic in my voice. "I made a lot of friends while working at the mansion. He and this other girl I met became really close! Of course I wouldn't say I'm as close to them as I am with Nastasia or O'Chunks, but..."

I kept rambling on and on trying to lighten the mood, but the tension still remained in the room. I could feel intense anger being built up; anger so overwhelming that it could grab a hold of my neck and strangle me where I sat.

Eventually, my rambling turned into mumbling, and then into silence. The silence terrified me, for I had no idea where Giullare was or see what emotion was on his face. If he wanted to kill me, he could do it without much trouble. I was defenseless, nothing but a blind little girl waiting to meet her fate.

Slowly, I felt the air around me become deathly cold. It was Giullare, I just knew it! He was coming to kill me! I felt the coldness of his presences come close to my face. My breathing quickened, closing my eyes tightly as I waited for him to strike me down.

But...I never felt something get stabbed into my body, or feel something snap the bones in my neck.

All I felt was something extremely cold, like ice cubes, being pressed against my lips. I shot my eyes wide open, my body becoming paralyzed by the touch.

"...Giullare, are you...?"

But I was never able to finish my question, for the moment I opened my mouth, the icy coldness was pressed harder onto my mouth, touching my tongue delicately. My mind became blank; I had no idea how to respond to this.

For how does one react to being kissed by a ghost?

After what seemed to be an eternity, I faintly felt Giullare pull back. But he still remained fairly close, as I could hear his breathing perfectly.

"...Giullare?"

There was no response, only heavy breathing. I felt Giullare's cold hand touch my check, his unseen eyes staring into mine. He gave a small laugh, sounding almost pitiful to the ear.

_"_Così vicino eppure così lontano sono anche voi. Qui vi sto dando io per lei, ma non è possibile sentire_,"_ Giullare whispered, his voice growing softer with every word. _"_L'amore è sempre stato crudele, ma ora è diventato un demonio sotto mentite spoglie per portare a me. E ora non mi consentono di mi sfuggono ancora. Per voi sono la chiave per la mia vendetta. Non intendo... si perde_." _

I felt him kiss me again.

Like heavy weights, my eyelids started to grow heavy. With the shock of all that was happening, I slowly felt myself losing consciousness.


	9. Chapter 8

"Mimi, Mimi wake up! Mimi!"

I groaned in my sleep. My body felt extremely cold, like I was frozen inside of a glacier. I slowly opened my eyes, staring blankly at the blurry form of Nastasia.

"Mimi, please wake up!" she cried, shaking me like I was on the verge of dying. "_Mimi_!"

"…Nassy?"

It took a lot of energy for me to just say that single word. I could see the petrified look on Nastasia's face, her blue skin becoming super pale.

"Thank God that you are alright," Nastasia said with a heavy sigh. "You just about scared me half to death."

She took a hold of my arm, her touch burning my skin. I flinched back.

"Nastasia, your hands are on fire!" I exclaimed shocked. "Are you running a temperature or something?"

Nastasia shook her head.

"It isn't me, Mimi. You are as cold as ice right now. So cold that I thought you were dead."

My eyes widened. I then realized that I was in my room, lying stiffly on top of my bed with no blanket to keep warm.

…H-how did I get here? I don't remember coming back to my room. The last thing I remembered was that Giullare…

I felt my face heat up a tiny bit. Nastasia raised an eyebrow.

"Mimi, is there something that you should be telling me?"

I avoided the question.

"…What are you doing here anyways, Nastasia? I'm sure you came in here for a reason."

It took awhile for Nastasia to reply.

"…I came in to tell you that O'Chunks was able to build a small raft for us to cross the flood. It isn't the sturdiest, but hopefully it will be enough for us to reach the door or far enough for us to teleport out of here."

My eyes widened. "W-wait, shouldn't we-"

I didn't have time to finish my sentence, for Nastasia took a hold of my arm again and got me out of bed.

"Are you well enough to travel?" Nastasia asked.

"Nassy, I'm fine, but-"

"Then let's go meet up with O'Chunks, K?"

Against my will, Nastasia dragged me out of my room and down the stairs. I tried to stop her, but every time I tried to say something, Nastasia would just cut me off.

Giullare, last night's events, the consequences of us leaving the castle went through my mind rapidly.

With everything happening so fast, and my mind still trying to catch up to the present, the next thing I knew was that Nastasia and I had arrived at the front door. Outside on the porch, O'Chunks had placed a poorly built raft made of wood into the black water. He turned to face us.

"Are we ready to go?" O'Chunks asked.

Nastasia nodded.

"Yeah, I believe so. The sooner we get out of this castle, the better."

She moved her gaze towards my direction. But before either Nastasia or O'Chunks could speak, I quickly said, "Don't you think we should test the raft if it will even support all our weight first? We can't just blindly go out into this flood. We don't know if there is any dry land available or not!"

"I know for a fact that it can at least support two of us," O'Chunks answered. "I am a stronger swimmer than you gals so I will do all the heavy work while you two stay on the raft. And even if it falls apart while we are out, I can help support you two if you need it."

"But then you will tire yourself out," I commented. "And again, we have no idea if there is any land available."

"It is a chance we have to take," Nastasia replied firmly. "We can't afford to stay another day here."

She narrowed her eyes at me.

"Unless you have a good reason for us to stay, Mimi. Like if you knew something that we didn't know."

Her red eyes glared into my green ones. O'Chunks stared us, looking completely lost as to what Nastasia was referring to.

I knew I should just go ahead and tell them about Giullare, that I should tell them that there was a vengeful ghost haunting the castle and was dangerous!

And yet I kept silent.

If I was going to free Giullare, telling Nastasia and O'Chunks was not the best way to do it. If I were to tell them what was truly going on, made them aware, then who knows what kind of outcome would happen. Giullare chose not to make himself known to them for a reason, and for everyone's safety, it was probably for the best. Plus Nastasia was right when she said the three of us can't stay in the isolation of the castle, for we would run out of supplies any day now, and not to mention that our friends would be worried sick about us by now. I thought about Madame Merlee, Doopliss, and Vivian, how extremely worried they must be right now.

With all these considerations and a deep analysis on the situation, I came up with a plan on what to do. And the first thing I needed to do was get Nastasia and O'Chunks out of here.

"…You are right, Nassy," I finally said after a long moment of silence. "We really do need to get out of here. I'm sorry for not thinking clearly."

"Err…that's okay, lassie," O'Chunks said, clearly confused. "I can understanding your hesitation…I think."

He then got waist deep into the water, preparing the raft for Nastasia and I to get on. Nastasia got on first, but not before glaring at me for a split second. After she gets settled in, I got on myself. The raft was extremely wobbly and uncomfortable to be on, the wood already soaked, getting my clothes all wet.

Clinging tightly to the sides of the raft, O'Chunks pushed it forward into the flood. I could hear him kick and swim through the dark water, trying his best to navigate the raft while also making sure his head stayed above the water. I felt sorry that he had to do all the work, but there wasn't much that I could do to help.

I looked back towards Castle Bleck, wondering if Giullare knew if we made our escape or not. How well was he taking it, was he devastated that I was gone? I felt my heart cringed.

We were like this for what seemed like forever, Nastasia guiding O'Chunks where to move the raft while I sat in silence, lost in my own thoughts. Suddenly, I heard Nastasia let out a large gasp.

"O'Chunks, I see it! I see the door!"

I quickly looked up to see where Nastasia was pointing at. There, surrounded almost completely by black water, was the black door that lead to Flopside. There was a small spot dry land for us to reach the door, which was probably kept dry by magic. O'Chunks moved us towards the door.

"Nastasia, you and Mimi get out first and see if you can get the door open," O'Chunks said, panting heavily. "I'll follow right behind you two."

Nastasia nodded in reply.

She then stepped off the raft and onto the dry spot, using all of her strength to open the door. She was able to, though with much difficult. As quickly as I could, I came in to help her. Together, we were able to get the door opened long enough for us to get through, along with O'Chunks.

We arrived back at Flopside Tower, the sunlight from the dimension hurting my eyes. The light was so intense, I could barely see in front to me. O'Chunks closed the door behind him.

"…We made it," he said with heavy breaths. "We are finally out of that hell. For good this time."

There was a small silence, as neither of us knew what to say next. We were all tired, relived that we could finally put our pasts behind us.

And if only that were true, at least for me.

"…I guess we should get home and let everyone know we are alright," I finally said. "We have been gone for three days without any word, and I'm sure people are getting worried."

"Yes, I'm sure your boss would be wondering where you are," O'Chunks replied. "You may lose your job if you're not careful."

"I highly doubt Madame Merlee would do that," Nastasia said. "But, yeah, we all need to get home."

She met my gaze.

"Though do rest up tonight, Mimi, and maybe tell Merlee what happened this morning. It could be a serious condition."

I nodded slowly in reply.

"I will and I appreciate the concern, Nassy."

I smiled.

"See you guys later."

Without waiting for a reply, I snapped my figures and teleported to Merlee's mansion.


	10. Chapter 9

I then arrived on the front lawn of Merlee's mansion, a weak wind flowing passed me. I walked up to the front door and slowly opened it. I saw no one at the entrance hall, a very quiet atmosphere filling the air.

"Hello?" I called out as I closed the door behind me. "Merlee, are you here?"

"Mimi?"

My eyes widened at the sound of Doopliss's voice. Coming out of one of the halls, my boyfriend and Vivian came running in. Doopliss's red eyes grew wide at the sight of me and he quickly ran up to me and embraced me tightly.

"I told you it was a bad idea for you to go to that castle!" Doopliss cried, his voice cracking with emotion. "I told you something bad was going to happen!"

He looked deeply into my eyes.

"You are not injured, are you? The ghost of your count didn't come to hurt you, did he?"

I gave a nervous laugh.

"I'm perfectly fine, Doopliss. Nothing that bad happened. We were just stranded there for a few days because of a flood that happened, that's it."

"A flood?" Vivian said, her pink eyes growing wide. "Wow, that sounds horrible! Was there like a bad rainstorm?"

I nodded.

"Yes, the entire grounds were covered in water that you would have thought it was a lake! It never flooded inside the castle, which was good, but it was bad enough that we couldn't leave."

Vivian nodded.

"I can understand."

She smiled.

"It is good to see that you are alright, Mimi. We were all so worried."

"That's right, and you didn't even bother trying to contact us!" Doopliss exclaimed.

"Doopliss, there was no way I could have contacted you guys," I said. "Phones don't work in between dimensions."

"You could have teleported!" Doopliss argued. "In fact, why didn't you guys do that to escape? You said you had to teleport quickly from dimensions all the time when you worked for the count!"

"I..."

I stuttered a bit with my words.

"...There was some complications with the teleporting..."

"'Complications?'" Vivian gave a puzzled look. "What kind of complications?"

It took awhile for me to reply, as I thought of the right words to say.

"...I don't know, really," I explained. "But at the castle, there was an unseen force preventing me or Nastasia to teleport. We couldn't even teleport to the other side of the same room! We were never able to figure out what it was, but we were able to escape by building a raft and crossing the water till we got to the door that led to Flopside."

Vivian nodded in reply. "I see."

Doopliss let out a heavy sigh.

"Well, it's over, and your back to us safe and sound, Mimi. You won't ever have to go back to that awful place."

An uneasy feeling went through me as he said that. I tried to give a reassuring smile.

"Yes. But, if you excuse me, I really must see Merlee. Is she here?"

"She is," Vivian answered, gesturing towards the stairs. "Last time I saw her she said she was going to be in her office."

She smiled.

"Like I said before, it's good to see that you are safe. If you have time, stop by Twilight Town and we can hang out for a bit. Maybe even do a little shopping."

I smiled and chuckled.

"Yeah, after you've been sick, from what Doopliss said, and me being trapped in an old castle, we deserve to go on a little shopping spree!"

Vivian giggled, clearly looking forward to it while Doopliss groaned, rolling his eyes.

Saying goodbye to my friends, I then quickly headed up the stairs to Merlee's office. But as soon as I got to the second floor, I saw Merlee standing by the staircase, as if waiting for me.

With a grim look on her face.

I met her gaze, and before I got a chance to speak, Merlee said, "Come with me to my office."

Even her voice sounded melancholic.

With a million questions going through my mind, I followed Merlee to her office. Once I was inside, she closed the door and then sat behind her desk. When she saw I was comfortable, she let out a heavy sigh.

"First off, I am very glad to see that you made out of Castle Bleck safely. It must have been very difficult for you and your friends to be trapped in that place. I hope that you three are doing alright."

I blinked.

"We are, but how did you know about us being trapped? Did you get a vision from your crystal ball?"

Merlee nodded.

"Not long after you left did I received a vision of your time at the castle. I know everything that happened those three nights."

Her eyes darkened.

"Including that ghost you 'befriended.'"

I felt my face pale dramatically.

Though I wasn't too surprised that Merlee would get a vision on what happened at the castle, but the fact that she knew about Giullare made me feel extremely scared.

When I did not make a verbal response, Merlee continued, "You do know who that ghost really is, don't you, Mimi?"

I remained silent.

"And you also know that this spirit is very dangerous and must be stopped, for we both know what he is capable of, even in death."

Again, I remained silent.

"...And by judging the look on your face, you have a plan to do something about him."

I nodded my head slowly. I looked at Merlee straight in the eyes.

"I plan on setting his spirit free," I confessed softly. "Since Nastasia and O'Chunks are safely out of the castle and that you all knew I was okay, I planned on going back and confront him."

Merlee nodded.

"Yes, though I doubt this will have a happy ending. A demon like him will continue to bring evil even in death. You must not let his deceit fool you."

Deceit? The word rang in my ears.

"But you don't have to face him if you don't think you can do it, Mimi. I won't force you to put yourself into any danger regarding that place, after all you've been through."

I shook my head, clutching my fists tightly.

"No. I don't want anyone else to do this for me," I said firmly. "I want to be there until the very end. For he...has made this even more personal."

The memory of Giullare kissing me played back in my mind, along with many other memories.

"I am going and that is final. I don't want Nastasia and O'Chunks to know since they since they don't have to be burdened with it. It would be for the best if I did this alone."

Merlee shook her head. "No, it wouldn't."

She paused for a second.

"Mimi, if you face him alone, only disaster will come. He knows you from the inside out, he knows how to play on your emotions. He will destroy you, if you two are alone. You _must_ have allies with you."

I gave Merlee a blank stare. "Like who? Doopliss and Vivian?"

"They have no connection to that castle or the spirit," Merlee explained. "His wrath would not be that great on them as it would be on Nastasia, O'Chunks, or even the four heroes. You three have a strong bond and they will protect you from his evil."

Getting Doopliss and Vivian to come with me to Castle Bleck? I did not want to get my new friends entangled with my past. But a part of me knew that Merlee was right. If something was to go wrong, and if I was alone, no one would be able to help me. I couldn't do this alone, even if I didn't want to take the chance of my friends getting hurt.

"...I don't like it, but I will see what they have to say," I finally said, standing up from my chair. "I'll go ahead and make my way to Twilight Town."

Merlee nodded, a sympathetic look on her face.

"I'm sorry that you have to go through this, Mimi. I will provide as much assistance as I can. The end is near, and soon you won't have to suffer anymore."

I gave a small smile.

"Yeah...the end is near."

But with what cost?

Without saying another word, I left Merlee's office and started to make my way to Twilight Town.

* * *

When I arrived in town, I told Vivian and Doopliss that I wanted to talk to them privately. We went to the steeple that Doopliss lived at, going up to the tower so that we wouldn't be overheard.

"So, what did you want to talk about, Mimi?" Vivian asked, sitting back in her chair as she tried to lighten the mood.

I sighed heavily.

"It...it is something serious," I said, avoiding eye contact. "Something that will require a lot from you guys..."

A suspicious look appeared in Doopliss's gaze.

"...What do you mean by that?"

Vivian gave a concerned look. I took in deep breaths of air.

"I need you guys to come with me back to Castle Bleck."

Vivian's eyes widened and Doopliss gasped.

"_What_?!" he exclaimed with shock. "_Why_ would you want to go back there? I thought you took care of your past!"

"Not all of it, because I couldn't while Nastasia and O'Chunks were there," I explained. "For you see...you were right, Doopliss."

Doopliss blinked. "Right? Right about what?"

"About there being a ghost in the castle," I said. "Only, it wasn't the ghost of Count Blumiere, but someone else...someone who is a danger to all worlds."

"As a ghost?" Vivian questioned, sounding unconvinced. "Ghosts can't do much in the living world, no matter how vengeful they may be."

"That may be true, but he is different from any person you ever met, living or dead," I countered. "He was a powerful magician when he was alive. _Very_ powerful. He-"

"If this ghost is that dangerous, that's another reason why you shouldn't go back," Doopliss said, cutting me off. "It was bad enough to let you go before, but now that I know that there _is_ an actual ghost..."

"Guys, just listen to me!"

I looked at both Doopliss and Vivian in the eye.

"Look, the ghost I am talking about was a guy I knew long ago. He is very dangerous, but from what I've...experienced in the castle, I believe there is a way to set his spirit free, without violence. And I think I'm the only one able to do it, but even if I am, I can't go in by myself if I get trapped again."

I paused for a moment.

"Doopliss, you're a duplighost, and if anyone can figure out how to set a spirit free, it is you. Vivian, your shadow powers as a shadow siren could be very useful as well with finding dark, hidden secrets. If we work together, we can succeed, no matter the danger!"

"Just because we can doesn't mean we should!" Doopliss cried. "There is _no_ way I'm letting you get yourself into danger or drag me and Vivian into it! You can never be certain if you can please a ghost, for it usually involves you doing or learning something that you would _never_ want to believe or do!"

"But Doopliss..."

My voice started to shake. Doopliss narrowed his eyes.

"Mimi, this is a bad idea. I almost lost it when you were missing those few days, knowing the possible dangers. And now you are back and saying that you want to go back to the place you just escaped? No, I can't let you do this and I won't let you! Do you understand me, Mimi?"

He glared at me, waiting impatiently for me to reply. But I didn't say anything, only staring into his eyes.

Suddenly, in a rage of emotion, Doopliss got up from where he was sitting and stormed out of the room. He slammed the door behind him, causing the tower to shake. I stared at the door, completely shocked at Doopliss's reaction. I mean, I knew he wouldn't be happy, but I never thought...

"...He's really worried about you," Vivian said softly, a sympathetic look in her eyes. "When you were gone, he was up almost all the time, pacing back and forth wondering what to do. He was even tempted to go to Flopside and try to get to the castle himself, and probably would have if I wasn't here to stop him."

I said nothing in reply, only staring at the door.

Doopliss...

"...You are still going to go, despite what he said?"

I nodded slowly.

"I have to, Vivian. It is the only way that we can truly move on."

_All_ of us.

"...Then I can't let you go alone," Vivian said firmly. "I don't know how much help I'll be, but I'll do what I can."

I smiled slightly.

"Thanks, Vivian. It means a lot."

She smiled back.

"What are friends for. But first, we need to come up with a plan."


	11. Chapter 10

Dark clouds covered the moon as I quietly made my way into Twilight Town to pick up Vivian. We had our plan all thought out, we were prepared for anything to happen when we set foot back into Castle Bleck. We had discussed our plan of action, how we would approach Giullare, and even some escape plans in case we had no choice but to retreat. Every situation, good or bad, we had a plan ready to put into action.

And yet it still did not feel like it was enough. For in the back of my mind, I had the feeling we could never be fully prepared for what we were about to face. Or what _I_ was about to face.

As I walked closer to Vivian's house, I had the urge to turn around and just go on without her. I doubted if it was the best idea to bring her into this, despite what Merlee said. Conflicting ideas went through my mind, some of the conflicts I wasn't able to understand.

I then saw Vivian waiting outside her house, her gaze having a tired look to it. Once she saw me, she gave a small smile.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

"I am," I answered with a slight pause. "Now...you _really_ sure you are okay with this? I don't..."

Vivian nodded.

"I told you I can't let you do this alone. I am fully prepared for what awaits us."

I sighed.

"All right. Then let's make our way to Flopside so that we can go through the door. Hopefully the flood will be lowered by now."

"And if not, I can use my shadow powers to get us through it."

I nodded in reply.

At least sounding like we were in control over the situation made me feel a little better. I was about to teleport us out of Twilight Town, when suddenly, I heard someone call my name. I froze in place, Vivian and I turning to see Doopliss approaching us. I felt my heart skip a beat at the sight of him. Doopliss avoided eye contact with both of us, looking as if he was afraid to meet our gazes.

"I..."

He let out a heavy sigh.

"I...I can't let you two do this while I just sit here and do nothing," he said, his voice cracking with emotion. "I would have to be a coward to let my closest friends go to a haunted castle and be at the mercy of a ghost."

Reluctantly, he looked at me in the eye.

"But just because I'm coming a long, does _not_ mean that I approve of what you are doing, Mimi. I would never forgive myself if I let you get severely hurt because of your stubbornness. And I _do_ expect some sort of apology for making me go through all this."

I stared at Doopliss for a long moment, completely shocked at what he just said. A small smile slowly appeared on my face.

"I appreciate it, Doopliss. And I am sorry that I have to force you to go through this."

I gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

"But I promise once this is all over, I won't have to do anything dangerous again."

Doopliss's face turned slightly red.

"...And I'll make sure you _keep_ that promise!"

I giggled softly in reply, which made Doopliss's blush grow even more.

With that said, Doopliss, Vivian, and I teleported our way to Flopside, where we arrived at the top of Flopside Tower. A nervous look appeared in Doopliss's eyes, while Vivian's eyes grew wide at the sight of the intimidating large door. But neither of them said or did anything to turn back.

I walked up to the door and used all my strength to open it. It was shut in very tightly, probably because O'Chunks had to slam it shut before any of the flood water got out. Luckily, no water came pouring out when I finally got it opened, which made me hope that the flood had gone down. We all went inside the door, Doopliss entering first and then followed by Vivian and I.

As I expected, there was still a great amount of water flooding the black monochrome dimension, however, it was clear that the water had gone down quite a bit. The raft that O'Chunks had made yesterday was still there as well and still usable.

In the distance, I could see Castle Bleck, and I pointed it out to Vivian and Doopliss. Their eyes grew wide at the sight, clearly impressed on how grand the castle looked from afar. It made me smile a bit on how awe struck they looked, because it reminded me of the first time I laid my eyes on the dreadful castle. But their awe left as quick as it came, as I asked Vivian if she could use her shadow powers to get us across the flood. It took awhile for her to reply, as she studied the distance between our location and the castle.

"...I don't think it will be too much of a problem," Vivian finally said. "Though I can only bring you guys over one at a time."

"...So one of us would have to wait at the castle by themselves for awhile?" Doopliss questioned.

Vivian nodded.

"For a few minutes, but it won't be like you would be inside the place alone. You would only just be outside."

"Still doesn't make it any better."

"But if you can only take one of us at a time," I pointed out, "does that mean you can't take us both out of the castle really fast in case something went wrong?"

Vivian's eyes darkened.

"...That is true."

She glanced over at the raft.

"...However, I could bring that raft over with my shadow power as well and just keep it outside on standby in case we need it."

"That would work," I replied. "Then let's go to the castle."

Taking us one at a time, Vivian used her shadow power to go into the shadows and take us to grounds of the castle. First taking Doopliss and then me, we were able to go underneath the water and get to the front entrance of Castle Bleck. Luckily, the water had gone down enough for us to be able to get onto the upper part of the front yard, close to the front porch. At least we didn't have to worry about it possibly flooding inside the castle anymore.

When Vivian arrived back with the raft, we waited a few minutes for her to catch her breath. It was obvious that the shadow travel had taken a lot of her energy, and Doopliss and I made sure we waited long enough to where she was fully rested.

As we waited, I kept looking up at the castle, wondering if Giullare was looking down at us from one of those windows. At the thought of him, my heart started to beat faster. Trying to hide my anxiety, I walked up to the front door, Doopliss and Vivian close to my side. But before I could open the door, I heard Doopliss speak up in a very small voice.

"So where exactly are we suppose to go once inside? Are we going to try to contact the dangerous ghost or...?"

From the tone in his voice, I could tell he desperately wanted a clear answer.

"...We'll see what we need to do once we are inside. There are so many things that can happen. It will just depend on how Giullare acts."

Doopliss's face paled, but I quickly reassured him that we had many escape plans in case something went wrong. Though that didn't seem to make him feel any better.

Opening the door, icy cold air blew through the three of us like a whirlwind. The air was a _lot_ chiller than what it was before, to where it almost felt like I was breathing in ice. I saw from the corner of my eye Vivian shivering uncontrollably.

"...T-t-there is no doubt about it," she said, chattering her teeth. "A-a strong, v-v-v-vengeful g-ghost is here!"

She took in deep breaths of air.

"A-and his presences i-is strong, much s-stronger than what I-I've ever s-seen before."

Doopliss moved closer to me.

"Then it won't be long until we come in contact with the ghost," he said. "Hopefully that slick will show his face soon so that I can punch him."

"We are not here to stir up a fight," I reminded him. "We came here for peace."

I put crossed my arms as I tried to get myself warm.

We then slowly made our way through the castle, the coldness becoming slightly more bearable as we went through. I looked around, trying to find a sign of where Giullare may be, but he had yet to make himself known to us. Why was he refusing to come in contact with us, what was he waiting for? I felt like something fell into the pit of my stomach.

Going by one of the plans Vivian and I had made earlier, we all searched the first floor together in hopes to find some kind of hint of what could be keeping Giullare's ghost here. We all stuck very close to each other's side, jumping at every little noise we heard or shadow we saw. Giullare could be anywhere, and we had to be ready for anything he may do. But we could never find anything interesting on the first floor, in fact, it looked exactly same how Nastasia, O'Chunks, and I had left it.

We continued our search floor by floor, until finally, we came to the floor where O'Chunks's, Dimentio's, and my rooms were. We each decided to look in the rooms separately, hoping to make the process go faster. Unknowingly, Vivian searched my old room and Doopliss went to O'Chunks's, leaving me the only option of going to Dimentio's room.

I stood silently in front of door, a cold feeling going inside me. I stared at it a long moment, thinking back about how many times I've stared at that door and wondered what laid beyond it, and back then, I would have killed to have known what was on the other side. But now...I couldn't bear know what horrifying things could lay beyond it. Slowly, I reached for the doorknob, delicately taking a hold of it.

"_Ahhhhh_!"

My eyes widened at the sound of Vivian screaming. I turned to see her run out of my room, her whole body shaking. Doopliss swiftly came out of O'Chunks's room and we quickly came to her side.

"Vivian, what happened?" Doopliss asked alarmed.

Vivian started to sob.

"I-I felt something _touch_ me!" she exclaimed, clearly frightened. "I felt something very cold touch my neck! Like a hand of death..."

Doopliss's face paled. "L-like a _what_?"

_"Ah ha ha ha..."_

I gasped.

"..._He's_ here," I whispered softly. "Giullare is here."

I continued to hear his voice, only becoming softer and softer. I clutched my fists.

"_Giullare_!"

I began running towards the sound of his fading voice.

"Mimi, come back!" I heard Doopliss call after me. "Mimi, the ghost is leading you into a trap!"

But I ignored his plea, for all I cared about was reaching Giullare. I wouldn't let him get away with frightening my friend like that!

Even if I did feel...something for him.

Following his laughter, I ended up going to the next floor up and turning towards the right. I kept running down the hall, and eventually, ended up in another room.

"Giullare!"

I fell to my knees, panting heavily, my head feeling light headed with the lack of oxygen and the coldness of the air.

"Mimi!"

Both Doopliss and Vivian came into the room as well. Doopliss clutched his fists.

"Slick, are you stupid?!" he demanded angrily. "Don't go running off like that when a psycho ghost is on the loose! You could have been hurt!"

I continued to pant heavily, not even bothering to come up with a reply. I looked up at my surroundings, seeing countless reflections of myself and my friends. We were in the hall of mirrors.

Suddenly, the door slammed shut from behind us, causing Vivian to shriek. Doopliss quickly took a hold of me and made me stand up, holding me close in one arm while comforting Vivian in the other.

"I-is that all you got?!" Doopliss shouted, though his voice shook with terror. "If you want a fight, then bring it on! If you want my girlfriend and my best friend, then you have to get through me!"

"Doopliss!" I exclaimed. "That's not-"

But before I could finish my sentence, a large electric sphere came out of nowhere and hit Doopliss straight in the chest. His body went flying and slammed into one of the mirrors, causing the glass to smash onto the floor.

"_Doopliss_!" Vivian screamed.

She was about to run to him, but then suddenly she froze in place. Taking a hold of her neck, she began to gasp for air, making chocking sounds. She was lifted up into the air, looking as if someone was pulling her up by her long hair. She was brought up to the ceiling, and with great force, was thrown back to the ground. I screamed, and while that was happening, Doopliss was thrown by an invisible force into another mirror.

I stood in complete horror as I saw my friends get thrown around like ragdolls, being electrocuted and screaming in total agony and fear. It was happening so fast that I had no time to react, unable to do a thing to help them. Tears began to form in my eyes.

"Stop!" I cried, trying to be heard over Doopliss and Vivian's screams. "Stop it, Giullare!"

But I got no response as Vivian was once again thrown into a one of the now broken mirrors, the glass cutting her face.

"Giullare, they have nothing to do with what happened! I beg you to stop! _Please_!"

Doopliss laid on the ground, his whole body covered in cuts, screaming at the top of his lungs as sparks of electricity went through is body.

Cry upon cry, slam upon slam, crash after crash. No matter how hard I pleaded with Giullare, he would not stop. I clutched my fists tightly, closing my eyes as tears ran down my cheeks.

"I won't let you do this!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "I won't let you hurt me and my friends like you did when you were alive! _I won't let you get away with this, Dimentio_!"

And then everything became silent.


	12. Chapter 11

The temperature in the entire room dropped to what felt like negative degree temperatures. Both Vivian and Doopliss ceased their screaming, as the torture they were in suddenly stopped. Both of them looked up at me, but I did not dare make eye contact with them. My eyes stared into the darkness, panting heavily as tears continued to run down my cheeks.

Suddenly, I felt an invisible force aggressively grab the collar of my dress. Both Doopliss and Vivian gasped at the sight, however I did not make a sound. I heard a snap, and I felt myself being teleported to another part of the castle with Dimentio, who I knew had a hold of me. We teleported to a pitched black room where I could not see a thing, though whether or not we were in the meeting room, I could not tell. Forcefully, I felt Dimentio's icy touch pin me against the wall, his cold presences leaning in close to me. I could feel his eyes glaring into me, a soft chuckle escaping him.

_"Ah ha ha...you should have heeded my warning on keeping my true identity a secret, my dear Mimi,"_ he threatened in his always smooth voice. _"Now things will now have to run a bit more difficulty."_

My face became emotionless, trying to seem calm and in control while my tears dried up.

"I would have figured it out eventually," I replied. "I've grown wiser since your death, I've grown older and mature."

Dimentio laughed softly.

_"Indeed you have, my dear. I can _clearly_ see it."_

I felt cold air delicately run down my arm, making me shiver. But I refused to show any weakness.

"Why are you still here, Dimentio?" I demanded. "The Chaos Heart is gone for good and the Dark Prognosticus has disappeared. There is nothing left for you."

_"Ah ha ha, you are wrong on that account, my dear," _Dimentio answered. _"I may never be able to gain my perfect world, but I can always get my revenge on those who ended my plans. O'Chunks, Nastasia, the four heroes. Seeing them die in horrible agony like I did would be a _most_ satisfying end, unlike them seeing me in pure humiliation."_

"That is a pretty weak reason," I commented. "You of all people should know that vengeance will only bring you down further into the ground, into hell."

Dimentio laughed cruelly.

_"And yet it can bring one the most pleasure, if they have nothing else to lose."_

I narrowed my eyes.

"That only makes you seem more pathetic."

I tensed up a bit as I felt Dimentio brought himself closer to me, where I could easily sense his frustration and anger_. _

_"Don't make things worse on yourself, my dear,"_ he whispered in my ear. _"I'm already angry as it is, you don't want me to move my wrath towards you."_

I felt my heart beat grow faster.

"...And yet I have nothing to lose if you do," I said back. "For if it is vengeance you want towards those who killed you, wouldn't that mean you would have to kill me?"

There was a long silence. Dimentio's breathing became heavier. His hesitation clearly told me that this was a hard question for him to answer. As it was for me to hear his reply. Softly, I heard him laugh, a laugh that was a mix between madness and heartache.

_"..._Why_ would you ask that?"_

The question was simple, yet I found it difficult to answer. I took in a deep breath of air.

"Because it would make sense for you to want me dead, I was Count Blumiere's loyal minion," I answered softly. "I've always known you to be a manipulative madman. Your actions and words are always mixed in between lies and truths. I can never believe what you say."

My whole body tensed up as I continued to speak.

"...And yet I would have to be a fool to fully believe that when you say that your ghost is only here for vengeance. You, Dimentio, are much more than that. I know you want something from me, for why else would you contact me when I first returned to the castle? But...this isn't the first time you've wanted something from me, is it?"

Dimentio said nothing in reply.

_"...You _really_ have become more than that little girl who blindly followed her beloved count."_

He chuckled softly.

_"Perhaps I did underestimated you, my dear. Being in isolation for so long can cloud one's judgment. But that does not mean I will be making the same mistake twice."_

Icy cold air touched my lips for a split second before it quickly moved away.

_"...And now to deal with those two unwanted guests you brought. For next time...perhaps I can get you to feel something."_

My eyes widened.

"Dimentio, _please_! Don't hurt them!"

_"I will make it as painless as possible, for your sake,"_ Dimentio said, his presence backing away from me. _"But they are a threat to me and must be eliminated. Especially that idiotic _boyfriend_ of yours."_

He gave a mad laugh.

_"Ciao, my dear! I will be back soon."_

I heard him snap his fingers, indicating that he had teleported out of the room. I fell to my knees, the fearful tears that I had kept hidden from Dimentio now pouring out.

Oh dear God, what have I done?

Doopliss...Vivian... I had sent them to their deaths! And there was little I could do to help them!

Crawling on the floor blindly, I felt around the room hoping to find a door. Fortunately, I was able to run into other side of the room very quickly. I reached up and felt around until I finally found the doorknob, but when I tried to turn it, it would not budge. I was locked in from the outside.

"Damn it!"

Though I knew it was useless, I tried to teleport out of the room, but like from before, Dimentio's magic prevented me. I even tried my shape-shifting abilities, or even summoning some rubees, but like the teleportation, it was no use.

I was utterly trapped. I continued to cry, leaning against the wall as I muttered Doopliss and Vivian's names.

Never in my life did I ever felt so helpless, so useless and at fault. Dimentio had me cornered with every turn; he had used my weaknesses to his fullest potential. And for what, just to add more suffering to the history of this castle?

Why couldn't he just move on!?

Suddenly, in the midst of my self-pity, I saw a small glow form from the corner of my eye. I slowly turned around, seeing that it was coming from under what seemed like a bed. Wiping the tears out of my eyes, I crawled over towards the light, which dimmed down the closer I got to it. Looking under the bed, I saw that there were a bunch of old, torn up, dusty books. Curiously, I picked one of them up, this one small than all the others. I opened it, the mysterious light coming from the books making it light enough for me to read.

The book I had, to my surprise, was handwritten rather than being printed. The writing seemed old fashion, very neat in pen stroke and elegance. After skimming through some of the passages, I began to realize that I was reading someone's journal, but not _anyone's_ journal.

But Dimentio's!

It was not hard to tell by the way the sentences were written, me being able to picture Dimentio's voice perfectly in my head. My grip tightened on the book as I read. The diary was filled mostly about scientific observations, Dimentio talking in full details about humans and human nature. As the passages went on, I could sense the anger, disgust, and resentment that Dimentio felt grow more and more, as he described the worse of the people he had seen. I skimmed through most of it, until finally I came upon an observation that quickly caught my attention.

Unlike the others where it took a full to half a page, this specific passage took almost three pages. My eyes widened when I realized that Dimentio was making notes about me, Count Bleck, Nastasia, and O'Chunks! But like all the others entries, these descriptions of us were just as negative and harsh, even more so at Count Bleck and Nastasia, him calling them arrogant, self-centered, pathetic living beings. And then...he started to describe me, in a matter different from the others.

_'__The last of my new 'comrades' is this girl, who couldn't be no older than fourteen. She is just like any other ignorant child, having a childish appearance by wearing innocently cute dresses with uncared for hair tied up in pigtails. Girlish giggles and nonsense comes from her mouth, a great annoyance to most. However...this girl, Mimi, interests me somewhat. Her appearance is innocent, yet her eyes tell a different story of suffering, eyes as green as any jewel. She needs to be kept an eye on, for there is something about her character that is intriguing to me.' _

I blinked a couple of times, finding it hard to believe that out of everyone at the castle, Dimentio would have found _me_ the most fascinating.

Continuing to read through the passages, the dates became inconsistent to each other. The observations slowly become less hate filled, short, and less detailed. And all of them were about me.

_'Mimi and I were training partners again, making it the perfect opportunity to continue my study on my coworkers' weaknesses. Her battle strategy is based off speed and quickly reflexes. She is very elegant in her movements, like a delicate swan making its way to water. Delicate she is, as I can easily destroy her grace with my attacks. She is no threat to me, but it would not hurt to watch her more.'_

_ 'I've been able to learn more about Mimi by reading her personal diary, which she keeps insecurely in her bedroom. She is even more naïve then she looks, writing nonstop about useless human wants. She is distracted too much by the simplest things from money to men. And somehow...I find it incredibly amusing.'_

_ 'Mimi goes after the Hero of Legend from the Dark Prognosticus. I have no doubt that she will fail like O'Chunks, but I can't help but worry about her. I can picture her face being bruised up by the hero. He will hurt her greatly. For some reason, I find this upsetting.'_

_ 'I finally find out what makes Mimi different from all the others. She is a failed experiment, most likely from someone trying to create life, her true form being a mechanical deform spider. Very powerful and ruthless, which she despises. This makes her regular, human girl form seem even more weak, delicate, beau'_

Numerous times when Dimentio was about to call me 'beautiful,' his writing would abruptly stop. I've noticed this happening several times, and I was totally shocked each time he does.

Eventually, I get to the final entry of the diary, the last one Dimentio wrote before he died. It was very haunting to read, to get a glimpse at his last thoughts. And they were nothing like I imagined them to be.

_'Ending finally here. Dark Prognosticus in hand and the man in green under my control. If all goes right, I shall succeed in making my perfect world, my vengeance against its cruelties and evil. Previous worlds will all get destroy, including this one. A great, glorious massacre. Among those, Mimi will die as well. Mimi: imperfect, what I feel for her, imperfect. The only flaw left in plan; try to save her and all will be lost. Must let her die, must let my desire for her die. Or I die, which I cannot do. Death, unacceptable, will not and will never accept that fate. Cannot die, cannot die.'_

"...Cannot die..."

I repeated those last two written worlds out loud. I slowly closed the book, a million things going through my mind. I sat in the dark silence as my mind processed what Dimentio wrote down.

Those thoughts...were _his_ thoughts, untainted by any ways to hide the truth. Words that he alone was meant to see, to study.

Setting the journal back, I saw that one of the books began to glow again. I picked it up, finding it surprisingly heavy and thick. Just by looking at the cover, I knew automatically that this was a spell book. My heart skipped a beat, for I felt a faint tang of hope. I could use this to counter Dimentio's spells, I could be set free! I had a chance to save Doopliss and Vivian!

Quickly I opened the book, hoping to come across a useful spell. I read the first spell that caught my eye, and I when I read it, I could not believe my eyes.

For what I read was a spell on how to destroy a person's spirit, how to kill a ghost.


	13. Chapter 12

Holding the spell book tightly in my arms, I cast a spell to unlock the door. As I spoke the ancient words, the book gave a soft purple glow, that same glow being cast onto the door. The door opened itself before me, cold air rushing into the room. With my legs shaking, I stepped out of the room. Turning to the page that had the kill a ghost spell, I tore the page out of the book and put the piece of paper in my dress's pocket. I knew that I couldn't take the whole spell book with me, it would just be a burden, for Dimentio would see through my plan from the moment he saw me. If I was going to win this, I had to have every advantage that I possibly could have. Even if that advantage was just a little spec compared to what Dimentio had.

Looking around the area, I saw that I was standing in the hallway were our old rooms were. I heard screaming echoing throughout the castle, the sounds of Vivian and Doopliss in total agony. It was coming from the upper levels, and I automatically knew that Dimentio had them in the meeting room. With my heart pounding in my chest, I rushed towards the stairs and climbed them as fast as I could. As I did, I thought about what I was about to do. The thought of killing Dimentio's spirit seemed unreal, impossible even. I might have done a ton of horrible things, but never in my life had I been forced to kill someone, much less a ghost.

Could I...really destroy him, would I be able to?

Deep down, I knew that this night was going to end with only two endings. Either Dimentio was going move on to the afterlife, with or without force. Or me, along with Doopliss and Vivian, was going to die by his hands.

Finally, with the screams of my friends reaching its peak, I finally arrived at the doors to the meeting room. Using all of my strength, I forced the doors opened. Eyes wide, I gasped at what I witnessed inside.

With white flames illuminating the large room, giant white platforms covered the entire room, each one leveling up higher and higher into the air. On the platform lowest to the ground, Vivian laid, her whole body covered in bruises and gashes. Her red and white striped hat was missing and her long pink hair was cut up and all over her face. I quickly rushed over to her side, checking Vivian's pulse to make sure she was alive. Thankfully, she was, the pain and torture overwhelming her into unconsciousness.

Vivian...

_"_Ah ha ha ha ha_!"_

I looked up at the highest platform, seeing Doopliss, his white cloak stained red, held into the air by an invisible force. The force, without a doubt Dimentio, held him by the neck, chocking him as Doopliss begged for mercy. Dimentio's satanic laughter echoed and mixed in with Doopliss's cries, making the sound so horrifying to the ear.

But before Dimentio could have the chance to do something worse to him, I ran up to the second highest platform.

"_Dimentio_!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. "Dimentio, let Doopliss go!"

At the sound of my voice, Doopliss's eyes grew wide, using his last bit of strength to make eye contact with me.

"...M-Mimi!"

_"Ah ha ha ha! So you _were_ able to get out, my dear,"_ Dimentio's bodiless voice said. _"You really won't give in and make things easier on yourself, will you?"_

I narrowed my eyes.

"I'm done with your games," I responded. "I'm...I'm here to end it right here and now!"

_"End it?"_

Dimentio gave a soft chuckle.

_"And what is it do you expect to end?"_

"The suffering of this castle, the never ending madness that has placed a cursed to all those who have stepped into its walls."

I took in a deep breath of air.

"I'm going to fulfill the promise I made to Giullare. I'm going to send your spirit to the afterlife, Dimentio."

Or die trying.

There was a long pause, the only sounds that could be heard was Doopliss's heavy breathing. After what felt like an eternity, Dimentio finally spoke.

_"...That is an interesting claim, but an impossible gestured. I will _never_ let go of my ambitions. Until I have what I rightfully deserve, I shall continue on fighting."_

Even though I could not see his eyes, I knew that he was glaring into Doopliss.

_"...But perhaps my persuasions would be more effective, and weaken you better, if not only you could hear my voice, but see and touch me as well."_

I could not hide the fear that appeared on my face.

"Dimentio, _no_!"

But before I could even react, Dimentio's ghost had already gone into Doopliss's body. Doopliss screamed in pure agony, his body twitching uncontrollably as his eyes went into the back of his skull. With Dimentio no longer able keeping him up in the air, he fell to the ground, screaming and twitching nonstop. I tried to get closer to help him, but Doopliss would just yell, "Stay away, Mimi! Stay away from _him_!"

I did not dare try to cast the ghost killing spell or use any other spell from the book, for I feared what it would do to Dimentio as it would to Doopliss. As Doopliss screamed, I could hear his voice mixing with Dimentio's, as Dimentio was slowly taking control over his body. Suddenly, the screaming stopped all together and Doopliss ceased all twitching. I felt my legs become weak.

"...Doopliss?"

A soft laugh came in reply.

Slowly, Doopliss stood up, though his movements were very stiff. His back was towards me, and immediately, I knew something was wrong. I took a step back, going as far as the edge of the platform I was standing on. 'Doopliss' slowly turned to face me, his once red eyes now having the colors of gray and yellow.

I felt like I was going to be sick.

A large twisted smile appeared on his face, and without saying a word, he snapped his fingers, using Doopliss's shape-shifting powers to change his form. The white sheet that covered Doopliss's body was replaced with long black pants and a purple and yellow poncho, with a half black and white mask to cover what was once Doopliss's face. Dimentio had regained his old appearance, and at the sight of it, made my heart stop.

Dimentio stared deeply into me, his smile growing as he took in my reaction to him. He then slowly, but stiffly, made his way to me. With my body unable to react, he took a hold of my hand and held it tightly. He smiled, moving his cold fingers delicately across my arm as he brought himself closer and closer to me. His touch sent chills down my spine. Even though he was using someone else's body, his touch still remained just as icy. Eventually, Dimentio got behind me and put his arms around my waist, pulling me into his arms. My eyes widened with shock, a slight heat coming to my face as my mind debated whether to fight back or not. Dimentio rested his head on my shoulder, breathing in my scent.

"...You have no idea how idea how much I've wanted to hold you like this, Mimi my dear," Dimentio whispered softly. "And you enjoy it, do you not?"

I said nothing in reply, as I refused to look at him. Dimentio chuckled.

"You have always found me irresistible, just as I have found you. Ghost or not, past or not, you want me to hold you like this. To touch you like this and have you feel my closeness..."

His lips ticked my neck as he spoke. Unable to handle it any longer, I used all my strength to rip myself out of Dimentio's grip. I moved to the other side of the platform, glaring at him as I panted heavily.

"Don't you touch me like that!" I shouted, unable to keep my voice steady.

Dimentio smirked and gave an amused laugh.

"Why so flustered, my dear? Why is your face so red?"

He tried to take a step closer, but I quickly moved to the safety of the highest platform before he could reach me.

"I'm not afraid to fight back," I threatened. "Stay away from me!"

"Are you? Then what are you waiting for?"

Dimentio used his own powers to sit in midair and crossed his legs, staring deeply into my eyes.

"Unlike my spirit, you can easily harm me while I am in this body. I can feel pain and you could potentially hurt me greatly."

His voice suddenly became extremely soft.

"However, your precious _boyfriend_ will feel the pain as well. Are you willing to sacrifice his safety, even his life, all just to get to me?"

I clutched my fists.

"I-I-"

"There is no hesitation in the matter," Dimentio quickly cut me off. "You either can or you cannot. And from the looks of things...it looks like you can't."

I narrowed my eyes, desperately trying to think of some kind of comeback. At this point, it seemed impossible for me to weaken him. Using Doopliss as a shield...what a cowardly move! Using him as a way to get to me, a way to play with my emotions to...

I stopped in mid thought, my mind quickly going back to the diary entries.

...Maybe I could use the fact Dimentio having a physical body to my advantage as well! It was a risky move, as Dimentio's instability could react a number of ways, but it seemed like the only option. I forced myself to give a small smile.

"So, you really believe you have me cornered, do you?" I asked in a mischievous voice. "You think I have _no_ way to fight you back, Dimentio?"

Dimentio smirked, a spark of arrogance glowing in his eyes.

"Unless you want to endanger your boyfriend's life, for it hangs so fragilely like a spider's web holding on as a strong gust of wind blows through it."

"Really?"

I giggled softly.

"Funny...It's been awhile since I've really got to hear one of your similes. I must admit, it is nice to hear them again."

I got back down to the same platform that Dimentio was on, slowly making my way over towards him. Though I was scared how I was going to be able to pull this off, somehow, staring into Dimentio's eyes made me calm enough to keep up my flirtatious act.

"Maybe you were right, Dimentio. Maybe I _do_ find you irresistible. Dark, strong, mysterious men have always been a very attractive traits. And your voice...so calm and smooth."

I gently touched his mask.

"...And maybe you have a handsome face to go with your amazing voice?"

Dimentio's eyes widened as I gently moved my hand down his cheek. Giggling softly, moved behind him and placed my arms around him, holding him like he had held me only a few minutes ago. I rested my head on his shoulder, smiling to myself.

"...Maybe seeing you again, in the flesh, has reopened my eyes to what I truly feel for you. Like you seeing me again when I first came back. Am I wrong?"

Dimentio said nothing in reply.

I could feel his muscles tensing up with me being so close, me being able to hear his breathing becoming heavier and faster. I was getting to him, _I_ was now the one cornering _him_! I tightened my grip on him slightly.

"Aw, why suddenly so quiet?" I questioned sweetly. "Surely, with you having me in the palm of your hand, would be able to respond to a simple, little, tiny question."

At this point, I could picture Dimentio starting to sweat.

Faintly, I heard soft groan. My eyes widened as I saw from the corner of my eye Vivian starting to gain consciousness. She sat up a bit, and when she saw the position Dimentio and I were in, she let out a loud gasp.

"Mimi! _What_ are you doing?!"

Dimentio smiled at her.

"Just getting acquainted."

Teleporting out of my grasp, Dimentio reappeared on the highest platform and summoned an invisible glass box around Vivian. Vivian gasped, quickly using her shadow powers to escape. Dimentio gave no reaction to her disappearing, for he put his eyes right back on me.

"You are really pushing your luck, my dear. But I'm afraid that this is the end."

Summoning a small electric sphere, he threw it straight at me, hitting me in the chest. I screamed, the impact being strong enough to send me flying to the other side of the room. I landed against the wall, red hot pain going through my back. As I laid on my back against the wall, Dimentio teleported right in front of me. "This...this is the end." He put his fingers underneath my chin and forced me to look at him. Using his magic, he made a sharp knife appear in his free hand and put the blade up to my neck.

"No more games now, my dear," Dimentio said with such intensity. "Once I set your spirit free from your mortal body, you will remain with me trapped in this castle, where you can never leave again. You _will_ be mine!"

I felt the point of the knife touch the end of neck. My eyes grew wide with fear, my whole body shaking as I was completely powerless. I stared deeply into Dimentio's eyes, for it was the only thing I could do. Dimentio stared back, intense emotion burning in his eyes. Madness, longing, loneliness, lust, love, anger, hurt; all of that was in his gaze. Dimentio stood still, his hand with the knife, his muscles tensing. I kept my gaze on him.

Why...why was he taking so long to kill me? Why was he holding back?

Suddenly, I flash of fire appeared at Dimentio's side. Burning his clothes, he cried out as he was force to step away from me, freeing me from the knife. Vivian quickly emerged out of the shadows, coming to my side.

"Are you alright, Mimi?" she asked, deeply concerned.

I gave a small nod. Dimentio growled as he got the fire out of his clothes.

"What an annoying girl, you are! I shall make you pay for that, like a-"

He cut himself off. With a tint of red appearing in his eyes, Dimentio screamed as he clutched on tightly to his head. Vivian and I gasped as he fell to his knees, looking like he was mortal pain.

_"...You son of a bitch!" _ The voice of Doopliss rasped out of Dimentio's mouth. _"How dare you hurt them! I will _never_ forgive you, Slick!"_

Dimentio screamed louder.

"...W-why you insolent-"

He could not finish his sentence, as his voice started to mix in with Doopliss's. As the two souls fought for control, the body slowly changing between Dimentio to Doopliss, their voices merging together.

_"...Get out...!"_ Doopliss cried. _"_Get out of my head_!"_

In an amazing miracle, for that was the only word I could use to describe it, Doopliss was able to get full control back into his body, a blue glow being thrown out of his body.

"_Doopliss_!"

Vivian rushed to his side, Doopliss gasping and panting for air as he let out small whimpers of pain. While Vivian took care of Doopliss, I turned to where that blue glow was, which was taking the outline shape of Dimentio. It was Dimentio's ghost, now fully visible in his weak state. With much pain in my back, I slowly approached him. Dimentio was trying to sit up, grunting in pain as he did. When he saw me coming his way, he looked up at me, his eyes wide with shock.

_"...H-how...how can you see me?"_

I got down to his eye level, a feeling of sympathy going through my heart. I let out a heavy sigh.

"...It is sad to see someone like this," I said softly. "To see a person so obsessed with the past and see them mentally torture themselves because they cannot let go to the point of pure madness."

I stared deeply into his eyes.

"'Death, unacceptable, will not and will never accept that fate. Cannot die, cannot die.'"

Dimentio's eyes widened as I recited the words from his journal. A sad look appeared in my gaze.

"If only you were able to let go, perhaps things could have been different between us. If you would have let go and allowed yourself to move on, maybe we could have been happy together."

I then slowly took out the piece of paper out of my dress pocket. Dimentio said nothing as I unfolded the paper to where it showed the ghost killing spell. A small tear ran down my cheek as I gave a small smile.

"And now it is time I fulfilled my promise to you, by making you move on for your own good," I said gently. "I don't know whether I will see you in the afterlife or destroy your soul completely, but just know...that I am doing this because somehow, and for the longest time...I found room in my heart to love you."

Though I could not feel anything, I kissed him on the lips. As I pulled back, I could see some tears forming in Dimentio's eyes. I took a step back from him, clearing my throat as I prepared myself to cast the spell. I tightened my grip onto the paper, my throat becoming clogged as I said the final words.

"_Vattene vagare lo spirito. Evanescere ab hoc sæculo, et in interitum, ubi reliquum est vestro iudicio finali._"

As I said those words, the outline of Dimentio slowly began to fade away. A small smile appeared on Dimentio's face.

_"_Lei è sempre stato la mia rovina, il mio amore. E non importa quanto difficile si tenta si è il nemico non è possibile sconfiggere._"_

He gave a small chuckle.

_"_Resterò in attesa per voi_, _mia cara Mimi._" _

With his final words ringing in my ears, Dimentio vanished completely. The cold air within the castle slowly began to fade, a new warmth making its way into the air. I slowly turned around to face Vivian and Doopliss, who were staring at me in pure shock. Doopliss tried to meet my gaze.

"...Mimi..."

I gave them both a small smile, a single tear falling down my cheek.

"It is over," I said softly, my voice cracking. "Dimentio is no more. I, this castle, is finally free."


	14. Epilogue

Though the words 'finally free' did not feel completely right, at least not yet.

Castle Bleck still remained standing, where the memories of all that had happened still remained. Not too long after Dimentio's death, I alone came back to Castle Bleck one last time to make sure that those memories were gone for good. I was to burn down the castle, so that no visible scars could remain. I did not tell anyone, not even Nastasia, O'Chunks, or Merlee that I was doing this. This was for me to do personally, because of all that had happened between me and Dimentio.

Somehow, I felt that even if I put it all in the back of my mind, I could never truly move on if that castle remained standing.

So, in the middle of one night when I knew my friends were all asleep, I sneaked off to Castle Bleck. Using a fire spell out of that was in Dimentio's spell book, I sent the whole black castle in flames. The fire quickly spread, first engulfing the first floor and rushing its way to the upper levels. Nothing could survive from the intense heat, soon the castle would be nothing but a pile of ash.

And that was what I wanted.

Throwing the spell book into the fire, I moved back a good distance so I could watch the fire. As I watched the castle burn, memories flooded back to me off all the times I spent there, practically, the memories I had of Dimentio. From the first time we met, to where I would fight him for my diary, to our training sessions, to the times we talked and discussed how we were going to defeat the hero of legend. I remembered his betrayal of Count Bleck, the shock and pain I felt that someone I was close to doing something horrible like that.

And then I forgot about him, tried to move on and pretend that his betrayal had no effect on me. But then I returned five years later, I befriended Giullare and was forced to face him once again. And we spent more moments together...where he and I finally showed our true feelings for each other.

Small tears appeared in my eyes as my mind took me back to where Dimentio first kissed me, where all I could see was the darkness. That moment...I would never forget it, the power it had over me and the lasting impression that it made on me. The moment that will haunt me for the rest of my life, the one thing that I can never burn away.

Finally, after hours of watching, the fire finally ceased and what was once Castle Bleck laid in ruins. I closed my eyes, taking in the smell of the fading smoke as a warm breeze moved passed me. Whether I had truly destroyed Dimentio's soul or not, I was at least glad that I was able to end his suffering. Maybe now, where ever his soul may be, he could finally find peace and let go.

For it was about time we all moved on for good.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**And thus, after a long and bumpy road, Monochrome Kiss is finally complete! This fanfic took a bit longer to write then I thought it would, mainly because of that short writer's block, but overall, I'm glad how it turned out.**

**But now that it is done, I will say that I will return to writing My Fair Lady, the fanfic I was writing and taking a break from while writing this one. So all of you fans of that one, be looking forward to seeing being updated again!**

**I would like to thank you all for reading and reviewing, and I hoped that the ending was as good as you hoped it would be :).**


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